Those New York City Nights Saga Part Three: Intuitive Falling
by imthegreenfairy88
Summary: The Third part of my New York City Nights trilogy. The focus this time around will be on Raphael and Felicia. Their relationship, where's it going? What will lie ahead for them in their future and can either of them make it out alive?
1. Prologue: Can't Believe It

She couldn't image my life without him now. From seeing him on that roof top years ago, to now walking to the garage he worked at willingly becoming human nearly everyday to save the money he needed for himself and his brothers. It all seemed surreal now of course, from where they were a couple years ago. She never thought she would end up with someone like Raphael. But, God is she happy she did.

He is as loyal as they come with the most amazing heart. You wouldn't think it by looking at him in his normal or even human body, or even after getting to know him. It takes awhile for him to open up, obviously Felicia learned that the hard way.

They had their ups and downs, mostly with him shooting off his mouth before thinking. He's had her apartment door slammed in his face more times than he can count but, he'd always come back with that stupid, beautiful look on his face with an amazing apology. Saying he didn't know any better, that he just gets too mad sometimes and doesn't know how to stop himself from saying something that he knows is going to hurt. She of course, being Felicia would apologize too because they know each other too well now not to know what words will hurt. She wasn't exactly a little princess either in those fights. She had her own problems with stopping before saying something hurtful and knowing how to push his buttons and she did, she pushed them hard.

But, with all that bad comes so many amazing goods.

Felicia has been working towards her Masters in Theater Management and he's been building up the reputation of the Dojo with his brother's, as well as working part time at the Bike Shop he fell in love with. Not that she could blame him. He always needed another outlet than to be doing the same thing over and over again at the Dojo with his brother's. He's always been wanting to go out on his own, do his own thing and now he can. He still has an amazing connection with his family but, he's Raph... He needs his alone time.

Leonardo and Willow made a beautiful home for themselves, close to the school she has been with for three and a half years now. She loves it, the creative writing, writing up a curriculum, molding young minds for the future. She had always looked at today's youth and was disgusted. The technology overload right at their fingertips, literally. She had to confiscate more cell phones than she'd like to admit but now instead of just bitching a moaning about it, she was actually able to do something about it. Get their faces away from a TV, computer, cell phone screen and into the pages of a good book. She had kids that graduated never having the desire to read books and she saw them at the local book store weekly. It made her feel great, empowered to teach these kids that there is more to the imagination than seeing it on a screen. The kids love her so much for it, she's been named teacher of the year two years in a row.

Leonardo of course has just poured his heart and soul into the Dojo, They decided on the name, _Hamato Bushido` _in remembrance of their beloved father and all he had taught them. It had come a long way from an old run down building that Leo had bought off an old man. It was beautiful inside, April helping with a lot of the interior decorating since the guys had very little skill in that area and getting all the information they needed to run a Dojo. Receiving paper work for the correct licenses to use certain weapons they needed, since very many were illegal in the state of New York. It all worked out of course, with someone as genius as Donatello they were all able to get the papers they needed to prove to anyone that came sniffing around that they were indeed a running company owned by citizens of New York and the United States.

That of course took time. Betty had to watch Donnie many a night at his computer, hunched over and typing furious as he created Social Security Numbers and Licenses for all four of his brother's. Some nights he was too tired to say goodnight to her and would pass out at his desk. Other nights she practically carried him to the bed. She knew it was for a good cause though and supported him as well as she could.

Since then, the Dojo ran classes nearly every day. A lot of the kids from Willow's classes signed up from the various fliers she and Riley set around the school. Those kids talked about it with their friends from different schools and soon enough they brother's had a full schedule to set.

Raphael and Leonardo doing mostly the teenage kids, Donatello and Michelangelo handling the younger ones. Riley even came up with an idea to have a self defense class for woman that Mikey and April both ran. The kids mom's were more than willing to sign up for those, and then came April's yoga classes which Riley was happy to help with. It was going wonderfully and all the brother's were extremely happy, except for a sad day about a year ago now...

_Willow looked over her husband as he put on his blue band, tying the familiar knot at the back of his head. His face was solemn and eyes rimmed with red from crying silently to himself for what felt like days now._

"_Tiger... I think it's time." She said softly as Leonardo nodded his head, turning towards his wife of three years. "He's in a better place." She shrugged trying to be as reassuring as she could, knowing none of it would help. _

"_He is..." He sighed, his voice quiet and scratchy as he tried to clear it. "He's with his wife now." He said as Willow nodded, feeling tears well up in her own eyes at her husbands sadness. _

_They exited his old room in the familiar lair, looking over the railing at the large opened room smelling of sandalwood and lilies. Flowers surrounded the room that Willow had gotten the day before with the other girls to help her. They were all dressed in black holding tightly onto their significant others large green hand, their fingers laced together. Their thumbs running over the back of their lovers scarred hands in soothing circles. Not a lot was said, or could be said. The girls couldn't feel anything but helpless as they watched their strong hero bent in pain from the loss of their father._

_Leonardo started down the stairs, his wife's hand tightly in his grasp as they walked up to the intimate group surrounding a large wooden casket. He caught eyes with his brother's one at a time, all of them proudly wearing their weapons and colors that their father had once given them as teenagers. With a deep, shuttering breath Leo walked up to the casket placing his hand on the wood to look down at his father's face. _

_He looked so peaceful with his eyes shut and paws folded over his red robe. Leonardo could feel tears start once again to rise in his eyes, not even bothering to push them away. He placed his hand over his father's as his shoulders shuttering with sobs. Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael all went over to the eldest to say good-bye to their beloved father. _

_April grasped tightly onto Casey's hand, giving it a squeeze as he looked down at her, his eyes too rimmed with red. She gave him a meek smile, kissing his cheek before walking over to her brother's, placing a warm hand on Mikey's shoulder. _

"_I wrote something, if you guys don't mind I'd like to read it." She said softly as Mikey nodded looking down his line of brother's towards the eldest. Leonardo just stood, tears streaming down his olive toned face looking down at his Master. April cleared her throat, tears starting to come to her eyes once more as she placed her hand on Splinter's. _

"_Master, you have been there with us through everything. You have raised these boys, now men to be wonderful individuals inside and out. They will live on with your memory strong in their minds and their hearts. You have taught me things I would never have dreamed of and lead me to believe in your son's as you did. I love them as my own brother's and you as my father. Your teachings will be with us for a life time. I know that you will rest well and be at peace." She said, wiping a tear from her cheek as Mikey leaned over and kissed it softly for her, taking a deep breath. _

"_It won't be the same with him gone." He said with a sniff as Donnie sighed, wrapping an arm around his little brother. _

"_He'll always be with us." He said as Raphael nodded, wiping his face from tears as well._

"_Let's get this to the lake house and give him his proper send off." Raph said, looking over his shoulder at his long time friend Casey as he nodded his head. _

_All four brother's and Casey hoisted the casket over their shoulders and walked to the street entrance where April's old van was waiting. Everyone follow slowly after them, Willow and April holding hands and their sniffing echoing throughout high ceilings of the lair. _

_The ride to the old farm house was quiet. No one spoke in the hours it took to get there. Leonardo road in the van with April, Casey and Willow, while everyone else took Felicia's old Jeep with Raphael driving. Felicia would look over at him every now and against begging with her eyes for him to say anything but, he never did. _

_Once at the old farm house, the casket was brought down to the lake. Casey and the brother's gathered kindling placing it inside the large wooden boat that Casey's father use to use for fishing. Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo were on one side of the casket as Casey and Donnie took the other, lifting the casket into the boat to fit on top of all the brush and wood they had found._

"_Good-bye father." Leonardo sighed, pushing the boat with his brother's into the placid lake. _

_April opened the wrapped one of Splinter's robes she had brought with her from her van, handing each of the turtles hand made bow and arrow they had made out of wood. Since knowing their father was sick Splinter told the boys what he had wanted as a burial and tribute. They worked diligently as only they could to please their father with the finished product of a smooth hand crafted arrow made of birch wood._

_Their friend of many years light the tips of the beautiful arrows, going slowly down the line with the long match stick smiling kindly, sadly at her family. They all looked at each other, the four strong brothers before releasing the arrows drawn. Leonardo first, then Raphael, Donatello and finally Michelangelo all in tandem, sighing a quiet 'good-bye' in Japanese. _

_Within minuets the boat that carried Splinter's body was aflame and coasting along the lake as the sky turned a dark blue. Stars over the lake and the beloved saying good-bye to father, master and friend started to show._

_Willow stepped forward, taking Leonardo's hand into hers as all the brother's watched their father float to his final resting place. _

It was a sad day for all of them. The emotions Raphael poured out of himself that night were unlike anything Felicia ever seen before. He had lost the only thing he knew as a parent figure. Someone that taught and showed them all how to be the men they all are today. It took them all awhile to get back to their normal selves. They all stayed in the liar for a couple months, splinting up things that belonged to Splinter but, it was just to hold onto their father for as long as they could. It was their home with him. It was a place that could go and be themselves and have no one judge or doubt them. It was a perfect place for them with someone they loved.

It is still there, and hidden. It's their security blanket as April calls it. Something that will always be there in case they need it, for whatever reason.

Donnie still uses it on occasion for his lab. He can only store so much stuff in Felicia and Betty's apartment.

They're still doing very well. Betty has left the lime light for something a little more behind the scenes. She started an internship at a very popular rock radio station in the city. She does mostly what Willow used to at the independent radio station she worked at years ago, stalking music and taking inventory but with her degree she is hoping be become a DJ one day. She has already got her boss to let her cover for a late night show a couple times and everyone stayed up late to listen to her.

Donnie has an IT job on the side that he in the apartment. Nothing major just helping people build websites and complete algorithms correctly. He tries to explain his day to Felicia and Betty everyday but, he goes so fast that Betty just shakes her head and says "whatever Zuckerburg" and walks away. Betty thinks it's amazing and of course always listens intently even if she doesn't have the faintest idea of what he's talking about.

Then there is Riley and Mikey. Those two are so ridiculously in love it's sickening sometimes. As someone that has known Riley for most of her life, it's an amazing thing to see her always so happy. She is never once without a smile on her face when she's around him.

Mikey purposes to her on a weekly basis and she always says that they don't need a piece of paper to tell them that they're in love. It's mostly because of her mother walking out on her at such a young age. She'll never admit it to anyone though. She's scared to death of commitment even though she'll be with Mikey until the day she's dead. But, Mikey never seems to care that she says no. He just shrugs it off and tells her he loves her anyways.

They've had their fights as most couples do, but not nearly as much as you would think considering it is Riley we're talking about. She can fight her way out of a paper bag to prove that she's right. It's mostly Mikey and his very passive, calm demeanor. His idea is if it's not important then why fight about it? It's made me take a step back and think about my behavior more than enough times when it comes to my fighting style with Raph.

Laughing to herself, Felicia turned the familiar corner of the bike shop she was walking towards hearing the familiar sound of impact wrench and smell of gasoline.

"Hey Raph, you're ladies here!" She heard one of the workers call out as she walked inside the garage. "Hey sugar, whacha bring for him today?" She asked.

Her name was Lucy. She was beautiful, short black hair that was left longer on one side and shaved on another. She had perfect 'bee stung' lips that were always dawned in a bright red lipstick. She wore the same thing to work as all the other men that worked there except she wore a white tank top under her dark blue coveralls. Her arms were covered in tattoos, mostly skulls with roses and a creepy depiction of Alice in Wonderland.

She was average size but looked like she could concave your face with one hit. Felicia, of course was incredible intimidated by her. She had no idea who wouldn't be, especially since Lucy got to work with Raphael for hours at a time and he had to look like sex on a stick. She was upset after leaving the first day there she went straight to Willow's.

"_He's going to cheat on me..." She sighed, sitting at the kitchen able as Leonardo furrowed his brow looking at a woman he now considered to be one of his best friends._

"_He's what?" He asked, confused obviously. He knew his brother and he knew that Raphael liked to look sure but, he loved Felicia and Leo knew Raph wouldn't do anything to hurt her._

"_There's this woman he works with. She's beautiful and completely his type. I mean, just looking at her in comparison to me if you asked yourself who would fit Raph more it would be her. She's covered in tats and beautiful. She has a nice rack too and he's such a boob guy it's ridiculous..."_

"_Ok, can I say something here?" Leo asked as Felicia sighed, waving her hand for him to talk. "I know my brother and he's loyal to a fault. He would never hurt you, especially not by cheating. Have you talked to him about this?"_

"_No, I just went to the garage today to surprise him for lunch and they were laughing together when I walked in. She was touching his arm, he looked so happy... I feel sick..." She said, getting from the table and starting to pace. _

"_Hey, hey my love. Oh, Fee what's up boo?" Willow said as she walked into her apartment. "What's wrong?" She asked immediately noticing her best friend's face._

"_Raph is gonna cheat on me."_

"_What?" Willow said, looking over at her husband as he shook his head. She eyed him for a moment before looking back at Felicia. "How do you know that?"_

"_This woman he works this, she's so friggin hot and is completely his type and..."_

"_Wait, wait, wait... You went to give him lunch today right?" Willow asked, walking her friend back to the kitchen table as they both took a seat._

"_Yeah, I wanted to surprise him and when I got there they were both laughing and touching and he looked happy and..."_

"_Well yeah, he was laughing. Did you get a weird vibe from her?" Willow asked as Leo furrowed his brow._

"_What does that have to do with anything?" He asked as Willow rolled her eyes._

"_Usually when a woman is trying to get with someone else's man they're all buddy buddy with the GF. Keep your friends close enemies closer type deal." Willow shrugged as Leo rolled his eyes._

"_That's not true at all. And Raphael wouldn't have noticed either way if she was trying to get his attention in that manner. He only has eyes for Felicia. Believe me when I say that." _

"_Excuse me, I am right here." Felicia sighed as Leo smiled at her. _

"_Sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous. Raphael has no intention of cheating."_

"_What if he wants to get back at me for what happened at the wedding, or the letter?"_

"_After three years this is his way of getting back at you?" Willow asked as Felicia sighed._

"_If you saw a woman like that around him and they were laughing and she was touching him how would you feel?" Felicia said pointing at Leo as he got from the table, to get some tea. _

"_I would be pissed at first, but he's not going anywhere." She shrugged._

"_You have the comfort in knowing that because you're legally bound to one another. Raph is a free agent. He can do whatever the hell he wants!" Felicia said as Willow sighed._

"_Fee, think about it for a second OK. Sure, this chick was hot but, do you know for a fact that she's Raph's type? Because from the looks of it, Leo is right. He does only have eyes for you. After three years of a relationship, you don't think you can have comfort in that? And he's far from a free agent. You two belong to each other." She shrugged as Felicia sighed._

It took several months of convincing by Raphael and her friends that he had absolutely no interest in Lucy, however that didn't stop Felicia's mind from making up ridiculous scenarios in her head. It wasn't until one day that Felicia came by with their lunch that she notice Lucy had a visitor as well...

"_Oh hey Fee!" Lucy said as she wiped her hands off on a rag, putting her arm around a beautiful young woman standing next to her. The young woman was blonde, her hair perfectly done with curls on the ends with her face dawned in light make-up. "Raph your girl is here!" She called over her shoulder as Raph looked up from the bike he was fixing and smiled at Felicia with a mischievous smirk. "This is Skylar." Lucy said, tugging the blonde to her side as Skylar's face turned a bright pink._

"_Hi." She said with a warming smile, extending her hand to Felicia. "Finally I can touch someone not covered in grease." She chuckled as Felicia did as well. "Your Raph's girlfriend huh? He said you were cute, but she's beautiful Raph." She said as he walked over to them with a roll of his eyes._

"_I said beautiful, you're just tryin' to get me in trouble."_

"_Because that's so hard." Lucy said looking past her Skylar towards Raph as he approached them. "We'll leave you guys to lunch. "Babe, I gotta get back to this bike." She sighed, turning towards Skylar who pouted. She pulled Lucy closer to her body by her blue overalls and kissed her hard on the mouth. Felicia's face blushed to the intimate act, turning away and looking up towards Raphael's smiling face._

"_Told ya you had nothin' to worry 'bout." He chuckled as he grabbed the lunch bag from her hands and walked over to their usual spot to eat. _

"Same as always..." Felicia said with a smile, showing Lucy the paper bag.

"He's such a fuddy duddy. You need to live a little Red." Lucy said, using the nickname she dawned him completely unknowing of the real factors. Raph walked up to Felicia giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I like roast beef sandwiches. Why do we do this every time I wanna fuckin' eat lunch?" He asked as Lucy chuckled slapping him hard on the arm.

"It's tradition! You don't like tradition go to another bike shop, bitch."

"Exactly! And it's tradition that I get a roast beef sandwich. Go finish that bike you're fuckin' up."

"I'll fuck you up." She said, pointing a wrench at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Try it princess." He said over his shoulder as Lucy just laughed, going back to her bike. "Wha'd you get?" He asked, sitting on the top of the picnic table around the back of the bike shop.

"Salad." She shrugged, sitting on the bench itself as he looked over at her with a furrowed brow.

"Why salad?" He asked taking a bite out of his sandwich as she shrugged.

"I don't know I feel bloaty lately." She said as he just looked at her even more confused. "I wanted a salad, just drop it. You have a class tonight?" She asked, poking around the unappetizing greens with a plastic fork as he nodded, sitting down beside her.

"I do, it's that new group of teens from the inner city program."

"Yeah, how's that coming along?" Felicia asked in excitement. It had been a new program that April had come up with and Donnie was trying to work out.

They wanted to get the less fortunate kids of the city, the kids that needed an outlet the most into the Dojo. But, without money coming in from these kids it was near to impossible to fund the program. So, April came up with the idea to have a fund raiser, with Willow and Riley having a bake sale at their school. They were able to come up with enough money and give finical aid to those who needed it for the classes.

"It's going pretty good." Raph said with a nod. "Donnie just came up with this packet thing to give the kid's parents so they can have payment plans and stuff. It's really amazing. This one kid Jose was so happy that he gave everyone a hug. His mom told us he hasn't hugged or been this happy in a long time." He said with a smile as Felicia gave one back, giving his scruffy human face a kiss.

"That's amazing baby. This is so incredible."

"I know it's... Surreal sometimes." He sighed with a shake of his head.

"Do you ever miss..." She said softly, looking over at him as he looked back at her. His eyes drifted to the tops of the tall surrounding buildings knowing what she was referring to. The hiding, the underground living, fighting for the city.

"Sometimes." He shrugged. "But, I'm too old for that shit." He chuckled as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you're a grandpa." She said, getting up and putting her salad container in the trash can. He chuckled, crumpling up the paper bag and plastic wrap in his hands, tossing the bag up and over Felicia's head and into the trash can. "Show off." She muttered as he smiled, kissing her lips softly. "I'll see you at the Dojo later?" She asked, closing her eyes as his face slid against her cheek, taking in the smell of her air as he wafted in the spring breeze.

"Of course."

"And at home later?" She asked, kissing his cheek softly as she felt him smile under her lips.

"And then some." He said with a throat chuckle as Felicia's whole body shuttered. "I love you." He said against her ear, pulling back to look her in the eye.

"I love you." She answered back as he smiled, kissing her once more.

* * *

"I don't get how _that_ is your husband! He's way too hot Mrs. H." This young girl Amber said with a roll of her eyes and cell phone inches from her face as she sat on her desk in the front row after looking over Willow's desk.

Willow shoved the young teen's feet from the chair in front of her and put a paper in her lap.

"This is why you're here Amber, not to talk about my hot husband. Which he in fact is." She said pointing to the graded D- paper.

"You know I had that wicked cold last week. I couldn't make up all the extra credit." She whined as Willow sighed, taking a seat next to the girl.

"You've been slipping all month. Your grades have gone from an A to a D-." Amber was one of the smartest students in Willow's classes. She had been on Honor Roll since Freshmen year and she was now a Senior. Willow had been trying to work with her to apply to different colleges, but the girl's ambition seemed to be dropping. "This is AP English, you wanted to get in this class. I helped you get into this class, now tell me why now you are not passing this class." She said, taking the girl's phone from her face so she'd pay attention.

"It's..." Amber sighed, rolling her eyes at herself. "This guy..."

"It's always 'this guy'." Willow said with a knowing smile as Amber's face blushed red. "He's what a bad boy from another school?" She asked as Amber shook her head.

"No, he's a Freshmen in college..." She sighed. "So smart... He goes to Yale."

"Really? Wow..." Willow said. "So Mr. Yale can't help you study?" She asked as Amber sighed.

"It's complicated."

"Little one, I invented complicated. Lay it one me."

"Well, it's an online relationship thing... I guess. I mean we've only been chatting for a couple months but, he tells me he loves me all the time..."

"OK. First off, any man that is willing to say they love you that quickly, without meeting you face to face is either lying or dumb. Second, you are a beautiful girl and can get someone here in person easily. Third, this is your last year of High School do you want to remember it by spending it chatting online with a cheetto stained keyboard? Or, do you want to pass this class, get into Stanford and become what you always wanted? Men will always be there, if he's the one and you know it then amazing. But, if he's holding you back instead of pushing you forward then maybe you should rethink it." Willow said with a shrug as Amber sat with her hands nervously twisting the cell phone in her hands.

"You're right."

"Of course I am. Now, I am letting you re-write this. You need to hand it in to me by Thursday. If it is not on my desk on Thursday morning you can consider this your final grade and I'll see you this summer." She said with a shrug as Amber sighed, taking the paper. "The premise was amazing, now add to it that Amber flair I loved three months ago before Mr. Harvard got into your head." Willow said, putting her arm on the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks Mrs. H." Amber said with a smile as Willow nodded her head.

"If you need to talk, you always have me and Ms. Nickles." She said as Amber nodded, going down the hallway, the girl stopped in her tracks along with a lot of other passing students as Willow noticed her beautiful husband making his way down the hall to her classroom. He of course was oblivious to all the girls chattering and watching him like a hawk.

"Hello love." Leo said with a smile, kissing his wife's cheek. Willow looked down at Amber as she watched with her mouth agape.

"Amber, you have Science next right?" She asked as Amber looked from Leo to Willow and shook her head to clear it.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah. Science. Biology..." She said, trailing off and letting her eyes wonder Leonardo's body before shaking her head against and heading down to her next class.

"That's Amber." Willow chuckled as Leo nodded his head still paying no attention to the gawking teenage girls. "Why are you here? I still have one more class." She said smiling at her husband that kept his eyes only on her. He put his hand on her lower back, leading her into her classroom.

"I thought I'd stop by before heading back to the Dojo for my first class." He shrugged, perching himself on the edge of her desk.

"Oh, so I get to warm you up?" She asked, getting from her chair and placing her hands on the desk, leaning over it to kiss him. He smiled against her mouth, moving his cheek against her's for a soft kiss.

"Always." He said softly as she sighed. Still after eight years he could reduce her to a pile of goo.

"Mrs. H..." She heard a young voice say from her doorway as she pulled back from her husband. "Uh, are we interrupting something?" The young boy asked with a smirk as Willow shook her head.

"No, no. Come in Owen." She sighed, pushing Leo on the chest a little. "Stop distracting me." She hissed at him as he chuckled, kissing her on the cheek.

"I'll see you later love." He said, walking out of the classroom and dodging kids that were coming in. Girls stopped, looking up at him as he passed as Willow sighed, shaking her head.

"Love you Tiger." She said as he smiled with a wave, walking down the hall.

"That belongs to you?" One girl asked from the back row as Willow rolled her eyes.

"Why is it such a shock that he's my husband?" She chuckled as the Owen shrugged.

"He's hot Mrs. H." He said as Willow crossed her arms.

"And I'm not? Wait... Don't answer that, that's incredibly inappropriate." She said waving her hands. "What class is this?" She asked, looking up at the clock as the girl in the back row chuckled.

"English 101." She said.

"We're reading Romeo and Juliet." Owen added as Willow nodded. "And you're right Mrs. H you are a fox too." He chuckled as Willow rolled her eyes at the boy, going back to her desk to grab her book.

* * *

"S'up bro." Mikey said as he looked over his shoulder at Leonardo coming into the Dojo. The little bells above the door that April had added sounded off at his arrival.

"Nothing, just came from seeing Will."

"Yeah, I was there earlier. They're probably gonna end up kickin' us out of the school if we keep goin' there." Mikey chuckled as Leo nodded his head.

"Sure, we finally started going to High School and it's just our luck we'd get kicked out." Leo said, chuckling to himself as Mikey looked over his shoulder at him.

"Dude, was that a joke?" He asked as Leo shrugged with a smile. "Nice one." He nodded approvingly as Leo rolled his eyes, mussing his brother's blonde hair.

"So, what classes we have today?" He asked with a smile on his face looking at the large calender on the back wall behind the large, beautiful bamboo desk that April had special ordered.

The entrance to the Dojo was gorgeous and stood out along the strip of business. The whole front of the building had glass windows, half way up etched in white with images of bamboo leaves that you could see through. The double doors to the entrance had a large image of a dragon etched in black, taking up both doors and it's tail curling towards the bottom. The Dojo's name in Japanese above the dragon's head and etched in white over the Dragon's heart in English, "Hamato Bushido`". Japanses symbols for Ninjitus, Kendo and Karate.

Once in the doors you were greated with the peaceful sound of a waterfall, spilling into a small kio pond. There were five fish inside that Mikey loved to take care of even giving them all Japanese names. There were shirts avaliable beside the large desk set in a bookshelve that was also made from bamboo. The Dojo's logo hung from behind the desk in a banner, along with a picture of all four brother's and their father putting up the final touches to the double doors so they could finally open. Spinter was so proud of all his son's that day and you could clearly see it on his aging human face.

"We've got..." Mikey said, jumping behind the desk and opening up April's appointment book. "Little Ninjas at three thirty, Self Defensive at five and Kendo at six. We've only got some people from the Karate class signed up for that one though. It may be too intese?" He asked, looking up at his older brother as Leonardo shrugged. He looked over at the wall of weapons that had displayed, several being the bamboo Shinai that were used for practice.

"If they can't handle it we'll take it off the schedual but I'm not going to let them fail before they started." He said as Mikey nodded.

"Good point. Raph was talkin' 'bout gettin' some of the kids from the inner city classes to join."

"Do we really want to give those kids a weapon?" Leo chuckled as Mikey shrugged.

"Better than a gun." He said as Leo nodded.

"Very true little brother."

"Hey guys!" April said, happily enterning the Dojo and putting her large gym bag behind the desk. "Ready for some Self Defense Mikey?" She asked, punching him in the shoulder as he rolled his eyes.

"Are you? You could barely keep up last time."

"Bullshit." She said shaking her head. "I was helping that old woman... What's her name, Alice. She was doing very well and she's a good customer. I think she likes watching you." She chuckled as Mikey's face pinked.

"Whatever." He grumbled as April rolled her eyes, pushing around Mikey's blonde head of hair before going behind the desk with Leo to look at the appointment book.

"Did those yoga matts I ordered come in yet?"

"No, I don't think so?" Mikey said, looking over his shoulder at the inventory on the wall. "Weren't they back ordered?" He sighed. "What does it matter?"

"They need our logo on them!" April sighed. "We can't get word of mouth out there without some marketing!" She said as Leo smiled at her.

"Our logo?"

"Hey, this Dojo is as much yours as it is mine damnit. You're my family, shut up." She chuckled, putting her gym back in the backroom behind the desk. "You guys have done amazing..." She sighed, leaning against the large bamboo desk looking over at Michelangelo and Leonardo.

They're human faces broke into large smiles as they looked around the room they created. Finally making a name for themselves in the city they swore to protect for so long. Finally to have a say, being heard and recongized for their good, instead of hiding in the shadows.

"Splinter would be proud." April added with a watery smile as Leonarod nodded, putting his arm around his younger brother's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"He would be."


	2. Same Ol' Same Ol'

Author's Note:

Hello All! I just want to say a great big THANK YOU! To all my readers. You guys are amazing! Beyond amazing! Every time I get a review it literally makes my day! I love them! To see you guys reading and adding me to your favorites makes me feel so good about this story and continuing on with it. There will be times where the chapters come a lot faster than others however, I am not giving up on my boys!

I also wanna add something that shocked my to my core. There are Spoilers so, if you are a reader TMNT comics and haven't read issue 44 yet please just continue to the story.

Anyways...

They kill off Donatello... Like... Dead. I am disgusted by this! You can't kill off one of them! Especially not Donnie! I mean, I get multi verses and different story lines, however killing off a brother? I'm sure they're going to make him into some kinda of robot or something... BUT HOW? Donnie is the machines! How's gonna build it Leo? Raph? MIKEY? Doubtful! I'm just... ugh... I'm not happy with the writers of this particular comic.

OK that is all... Back to the story! :)

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: Same Ol' Same Ol'

The city fell quiet as night engulfed it in darkness. The sounds of car horns and useless chatter echoed through the shallow walls of the alleyways as the brothers banded in colors stood overlooking their home. Since the start of the Dojo and the fall of the Shredder the city streets no longer exploded with violence and vengeance. It was nearly serene and eerily quiet, the rapid crime in the city dwindling as days turned to months and months into years since the fall of the Saki name.

"This sucks." Raphael growled, sitting down hard the ledge of the building they stood atop of. Leonardo looked to his right at his hot tempered younger brother with a roll of his eyes.

"It's just a precaution..." Donatello said with a shrug, leaning heavily on his bo staff, behind his older brother.

"It's not like the good ol' days bro. We kinda put out that fire." Michelangelo said, sitting beside Donnie on the ledge.

"It's what we wanted." Leonardo added, as all this brother's looked to him.

"Well, I want a fight." Raph said, getting to his feet and stalking towards his older brother. Leonardo rolled his eyes and turned towards Raphael.

"I want to pay attention to the streets. The police radio said that there had been some activity at the store across the street lately. I didn't just bring you here to watch the pretty view." Leo sighed, putting his large green foot on the side of the ledge and leaning over for a better look.

"Oh..." Raph said, looking towards the old music store, with lights out aside from a few neon signs glowing in the back. "Looket you listenin' to police scanners." Raph chuckled as Leo rolled his eyes.

"Trust me brother, playing teacher to a lot of pre-teens is about as fun as it can be. I still need..."

"That itch scratched." Raph said with a smirk, looking over at his brother with a smile as Leonardo returned it.

"Exactly." The sound of breaking glass made the four of the brother's look towards the music shop they have been watching. "Looks like you'll get that fight after all little brother." Leo said with a smile before leaping down the side of the building to the fire escape below.

Raph, Donnie and Mikey follow their leader quietly to the other side of the street, keeping towards the shadows. Leo held his hand up as they turned the alleyway corner to the back entrance of the music shop.

* * *

Felicia sat her new queen size mattress in her new apartment, shared with her new roommate Elizabeth O'Hare. She glared at the cursor blinking at her, almost in mock as she tried to write the finishing paragraph to her final paper that would be the resounding end to her college career. She had it blank for weeks now, asking Willow for help seeing as though she was an English teacher. Willow's response of course was she graded teenage papers that had more grammatical errors than an MTV reality show, so barking up that tree was close to useless. Donnie was some help seeing he was at her apartment often enough, but that almost felt like cheating.

Feeling the window open to the cool air of fall billowing into her bedroom she smiled a little, turning to see her beautiful savor make his way inside, a lot slower than usual. She furrowed her brow, getting up quickly from her position on the bed and rushed over to help him. When she grabbed his large green arm, she felt the warm gush of sticky blood flow into her palm. She sighed, helping him towards the bed.

"What happened?" She sighed, looking at the gash on his arm and outside of his thigh.

"Just some thugs, nothin' major. Don already took a look at me." He said with a groan, sitting on the edge of their bed. He laid back with a sigh, closing his eyes.

"Well, you're still bleeding so he didn't do a very good job."

"It just opened back up because of the climb, it'll stop in a minuet... Where you goin'?" He asked, sitting up a little as she glared at him, stomping her way down the hallway to the bathroom. Donatello was already in there gathering a small amount of gauze and antiseptic.

"What happened?" Felicia asked again, crossing her arms over her tank top covered chest. Donnie gave her a small smile, noticing then brunettes agitation, trying to calm her mood.

"Nothing major just..."

"Some thugs? Really? Did you rehearse this?" She asked with a roll of her eyes as Donnie furrowed his brow at her. "Raph said the same thing."

"Then it must be true, right? Now, let me just wrap it up and he'll be right as rain." Don said, making his way to her and Raphael's bedroom where Raph was starting to take off his gear from the evening.

"Let me help." Felicia said, kneeling in front of her boyfriend, slowly sliding his knee pads and unroll his tape from his legs. "So, these _thugs_...Did they have anything to do with the break in at the music shop that seems to be all over the news because someone was able to tie them up with guitar strings?" Felicia asked, unwrapping Raphael's knee as he smirked down at her.

"I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout." He shrugged, looking over at his nerdy brother who shared a knowing grin.

"Uh, huh. I swear, Willow's dad giving Leo that police scanner was the stupidest thing he's ever done." She growled, getting from the floor and sitting next to her turtle boyfriend.

"So you say, however the crime rate is down by ten percent and we've only been at it for a week and a half." Donnie said, focusing on Raphael's bullet graze. "There, all done. The bleeding already stopped. Nothing to worry about." He said, looking at Felicia who looked over his work.

"Yeah, you're right. Nothing to worry about... Just my boyfriend getting shot. Ya know, same ol' same ol'." She sighed as Raphael leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"It grazed me for a reason. I moved out of the way, I know better than to stay put when a gun is pointed at me." He said, taking in a breath of her hair as Donnie smiled at them leaving their room and closing the door softly behind him.

"And when you don't move? What happens then?" She asked, moving away from him nuzzle against her neck. He sighed, looking at her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you guys ever going to stop this? They're not exactly teenagers anymore."

"Which is why we keep ourselves as active as possible." He shrugged. "So, speakin' of action..." He smirked, moving into her neck again as she sighed and got up from the bed. Raphael sighed now too, putting his head down towards the empty space that she once sat. "What do ya want me to say Fee? This is what we do, ya knew it goin'..."

"I know, I know. I knew going in that you are what you are but... It's scary Raph, OK?" She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, and closing the window from the cool, fall air. "I'm scared to death every time you go out there, all of you. What happens when..." She stopped, turning to look back at him, standing close to her. His body grazing against her back, putting his large hand on her shoulder and gently guiding her to look at him.

"I'm not goin' anywhere." He said, his eyes fierce and surrounded by red. She smiled, reaching up to his cheek, slipping the mask away from his face and gripping the old, ratted fabric in her fist.

"And you know that for certain?" She asked, dropping his mask to the floor and taking his large hands into her own.

"No." He shrugged. "But, I know that it's gonna take a hellva lot of men to bring me down if it means I'm away from you." He said, as she smiled a watery smile, tears welling in her eyes. "I love you Fee. It's gonna take a lot to break me."

"Not so much to break me..." She sighed with a drop of her head. He lifted her face back to his, wiping a tear away with a finger. "I love you, so much it literally hurts sometimes when you're gone. When I don't know where you are... When... I think you may not be with me anymore, alive... I-I can't..." Tears started falling harder now as Raph wrapped her tightly in his strong embrace.

"Baby, stop worryin' yaself, please. Ya stressed with finals... I know that. Don was talkin' 'bout it. Betty is too I guess..." He sighed, pulling back from their bodies enough to just see her face. He leaned down, kissing her damp cheek. "What 'bout this... I will hold off on goin' out so much with the guys as soon as you're done your papers and finally graduate?" He asked as she smiled, looking up at him.

"You'd do that for me?" She asked as he shrugged.

"It's been pretty slow lately and we need to get back to focusing on the Dojo. Get the word of mouth out there. I can only post so many fliers at the shop before my boss rips 'em down." He chuckled as Felicia joined in. She leaned up on her toes, kissing his mouth softly. "So... 'bout that action?" He asked as she giggled, turning into a squeal as he picked her up over his shoulder and flipped her back on her mattress.

* * *

"I'm throwing it out." Willow said, holding up the portable black radio in her hands. Leo sighed from his seat on the couch. Mikey hissed in pain as Riley glared at him, rubbing the gash on his bicep a little harder than she should with antiseptic.

"You're not going to throw it out." Leo said with a shrug, crossing his arms over his plastron as Willow arched an eye brow in challenge.

"Really?" She asked walking over to her large bay window, overlooking her fire escape.

"Nothing bad happened." Leo said with a sigh as Willow's eyes widened in shock.

"Nothing bad happened? Nothing bad happened?!" She asked, her voice raising in aggravation. "Raphael got shot, you nearly broke your leg and Mikey got stabbed! Nothing bad happened?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle." He corrected as Willow growled, going over to the window and opened it up. Leonardo went to her side quickly, grabbing her raised arm that help the police scanner. "Willow, calm down." He said to her softly. She let her glare on his brown eyes wrapped in blue soften as he smiled at her, letting her hand drop to her side.

"It's stupid." She said, crossing her arms over her chest with her radio still grasped tightly in her hand.

"Why is it stupid now but, wasn't years ago?" He asked with a shrug as Willow sighed.

"You have a business to run, we're married, you're _older_. Several reasons." She said with a mocking shrug back. He sighed, holding his hand out for the radio. With a roll of her eyes she handed it over as hard as she could against his large green palm. "Whatever." She said, walking past him with a shoulder nudge into the kitchen.

Riley and Mikey looked up from their conversation as Willow banged pots and pans around the sink. Mikey grimaced as the refrigeration door slammed shut and a bottle of wine opened.

"Maybe, we should go to our room?" Riley asked, looking up at Leo as he glared at the kitchen.

"Good idea babe." Mikey said, getting to his feet steadily with a small limp. Riley helped him as best she could down the hallway to their room, closing the door off to the agitated couple.

"What?" Leo finally said after standing outside the kitchen, watching his wife mutter and scrub an already clean pan from the previous night.

"What?" She asked back, turning towards him with soapy hands. "I thought we were done?" She asked, turning back towards the sink.

"You're obviously not." He said, walking closer to her as she sighed shaking her head.

"No, I'm not." She said through clenched teeth, slamming the pot down in the water and splashing soap all over herself. She turned towards him, crossing her arms over her damp chest. "What the fuck Leo? I told you as soon as dad gave you that stupid thing to get rid of it and you end up going out _listening_ to break ins and shit? How is that even a little productive? What would Splinter say if he, was still here...?" She asked, her voice trailing off slowly in the end as her head dropped. "Oh God, Tiger I'm so..."

"No, it's fine. He would be fine with it." Leo said, crossing his arms over his plastron. "That's why he raised us as he did, to protect this city." He said with a shrug.

"Really? He'd be fine that Raph got shot, that Mikey got stabbed? I'm sure he'd have no problem with that." She said in a mocking tone, turning back towards her pot with a shake of her head.

Leonardo glared at the back of his wife head for a moment before turning his back on her. He knew he couldn't say anything further without it resulting in a fight. He knew that she may have been right about his father. Walking down the hall, he entered his Master's old bedroom. His belongings still set as they were when he was living. His robe folded neatly over the quilting he had brought up with him from the sewers.

Walking over to the bed, Leonardo ran his large hand over the familiar fabric of his father's worn robe. The soft cotton sliding over his palm easily as he folded the sleeve back in place. With a sigh, he turned towards the fire escape.

Since moving to their new apartment, closing to Willow's school and the Dojo the fire escape to the building was no longer attached to the large bay window in the living room. It sat on the outside of his father's room, their guest room. Walking over to the window he lifted it slowly stepping onto the cold metal and climbing the narrow stairs.

He stood on the roof top, his hands gripping tightly to the cement ledge as the city sang around him. Sires, voices carrying from down below, car horns all rang out as he closed his eyes, letting his head fall between his strong shoulders. Looking down at the small black box that got him into his predicament, he picked it up, shaking his head at his own ridiculousness.

"Let me see the scanner Leonardo." He heard come from behind him. His head raised slowly to the familiarity of the voice. He turned to his father holding out his paw. Leo sighed, handing over the small radio. "Paul gave you this with good intentions however, you and your brother's have done enough good for this city. You will keep doing so with your Dojo, I know it but, this... Going out still to do work that is not yours to do. Leave the small crimes to the police my son. You should have known better." He said with a sigh, dropping his head. "What if you had gotten caught? What if the police had shown up before you had, or worse in the middle of your battle? What then? What of your invisibility training have you been able to use against a police squad Son?"

"I-I wasn't thinking of..."

"Exactly you were not thinking. You were leading your brothers into danger for some thrill. I know what you must be feeling Leonardo. I know that without someone to fight there is very little for you and your brothers to do to feel complete. You have always helped this city, fought for it, protected it. But, the time has come to move on my son."

"It was just one night..."

"And then the next would have been two? Then three? It is a horrible thing to be addicted to violence Leonardo."

"I'm not addicted to..."

"You thrive for it. You need to feel the weight of your katana in your hands..." Splinter said, walking closer to Leonardo, pulling his hands out in front of him. "The heat of their blood as it gushes onto your palm." He said, looking into his son's eyes. "I can see in your eyes the thirst for it. It was similar to my own. I have known that feeling my son. It can blind you, make you want nothing but the hunt and kill. But, those days are over. The time in your life is done. Close that book and start a new with your beautiful wife."

"I don't know if it will be that easy Master..." He sighed as Splinter smiled, kissing the top of Leonardo's head.

"You'll need to make it that easy my Son. You cannot keep chasing something that is no longer there. Those days have ended. Your days of hiding, searching for an evil to keep your family safe doesn't exist anymore. You and your brother's need to realize this now before you push those away who love you."

"Willow wouldn't..."

"You cannot see into the future as I have. If this continues my son, your searching and fighting..."

"Willow will leave me..." Leonardo said slowly, feeling the pain of his words ache in his heart.

"Yes my son... Along with your brother's and their companions. This isn't something that should be taken lightly..."

"This is why you came to see me? To tell me that if I keep fighting, something that you taught me all my life, that my wife will leave?" Leo asked, getting slightly irritated now. "You told us our whole lives what we needed to do, how we needed to protect our family, this city! And now you come here and tell me to stop?"

"I am asking you, for your own sake my son to put your swords down. Rest. Live your life that you are now granted. Be happy in it. Do not live in my mistakes. I wish that I taught you boys more than just to fight, but how to live."

"Father, you did teach us..."

"Then follow those teachings Leonardo! Be a man I know you can be! Be that for your wife, for your brothers! They need you now in this more than ever. They need their leader to show them the way to a happy existence. Be that for them now." Splinter said, gripping tightly onto Leonardo's shoulders. Pulling him down to his level and kissing his forehead. "I love you my son." He whispered softly.

Leonardo stood, still bent with the lingering feeling of his master's strong hands on his shoulders. He opened his eyes slowly, looking at the empty roof top ahead of him. He sighed, looking back over to the ledge at the radio that laid there.

Picking it up, he threw it down to the alleyway below, waiting to hear the metallic sound of it landing in the dumpster. He sighed, looking down into the darkened below before heading down back the narrow stair way.

Looking into the room he saw his wife sitting on his Master's old bed. With a meek smile he climbed through the window, closing it softly.

"Hi..." He said leaning his shell against the window.

"Tiger I'm..."

"I'm sorry." He interrupted, going to her and kneeling in front of her. "You were right. I shouldn't be chasing something that doesn't exist anymore. That's what the police are for. I-I'm not going to say right now that it won't happen against because honestly... I can't promise that. Not right now..." He sighed, putting his head down so it rested against her knees. "Put, I can promise that I am trying. I am going to try and stop this. I don't want you upset. I don't need to put that kind of stress on you..."

"Tiger I'm..."

"No. I need to just say this..." He sighed, looking up at her. He reached to her face, wiping the tears that ran down her cheeks. "I love you, so much Willow. I can't lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere Leo..."

"Yes, not now. But, you will. We can't fight like that all the time and expect our relationship to remain strong."

"It's healthy to fight..."

"Not about this, not like that." He said with a shake of his head. "I am going to stop. I'm gonna have a meeting with the guys, we're not going to go out anymore."

"Leo, I know you. I know that when you hear the police sirens at night your whole body tenses. You look out to see where it is, what's happening. I don't expect something so deeply rooted in your self to just end. It can't."

"I'm going to try." He said with a stern nod as Willow sighed. She leaned down and kissed his forehead, just as his father did moments ago, feeling the remaining tingle. "I love you." He sighed, looking up to his wife's beautiful face and kissing her lips.

"I love you Tiger."

* * *

"I agree with Leo. We keep goin' out like that it's not gonna end good."

"What?" Mikey asked, looking over at the second eldest as Raphael shrugged his shoulders. The brothers met at the Dojo before all their classes early the next morning. Leonardo needed to get them together to tell them what their Father had said to him and mostly, to see if anyone else had had a similar encounter. He couldn't have possibly been the only one visited by Splinter last night and if he was, was he losing his mind?

He had fought with the notion all the night before. Tossing and turning in bed, before getting up and pacing the living room floor as to not wake up Willow. His father's words and his fight with his wife playing over and over again. He hoped that one of his brothers had the same experience. They had to.

"It's true." Raph said. "Leo is right, we got nothin' to chase after anymore. Shredder is dead, Shredder junior is deader. We did what we had to."

"What about that itch being scratched?" Donnie questioned as Raphael sighed, running a hand over his human head.

"Listen, I'm not sayin' I like it. I'm just sayin' it needs to be done." Leonardo looked at his brother for a moment before a smile broke over his face. Finally Raphael had agreed with him on something.

"It needs to be done. We cannot keep playing cops and robbers. We have business to run, lives to lead. This isn't who we are anymore."

"I guess you're right." Mikey said with a shrug and a sigh. "But, what if like say we're all out for whatever reason and we see some guys tryin' to bust into a bank or something, we just turn and walk away?"

"No numb nuts. We obviously would do somethin'..." Raph sighed, as Mikey shrugged.

"Well like what are the limits here? Car being boosted, we stop it?"

"Yes." Leo and Raph said at the same time.

"Why are you going out at night in the bad neighborhood?" Donnie interjected as Mikey rolled his eyes waving off his nerdy brother.

"Girl being raped?" Mikey asked again.

"Yes." They said again.

"I would hope yes, Jesus..." Donnie muttered, jumping up on the bamboo desk of the Dpjo.

"Anything that is right there and then, without cops and we can stop it, we do. Simple." Leonardo said with a shrug. "We have the ability and power to do so, so we should. But, if the cops arrive, we leave."

"So no more roof top meetings..." Mikey sighed as Leo nodded.

"Sorry little brother. Those days are over." He said with a small smile as Mikey nodded.

"I guess it was time..."

"Casey is gonna be pissed." Raph chuckled as he took out his cell phone out of his back pocket.

"April will be pleased at least. She can stop worrying about all of us." Donnie shrugged as Mikey nodded.

"Yeah, ever notice those lines on her face now? Every time I see them I'm just like man... we did that..." He said, chuckling half heartily as the other brother's nodded.

"We should get set up for the first class." Donnie said hopping off the desk and tapping Mikey in the chest as he walked towards the large opened Dojo space. Mikey followed, eying the two eldest as they stayed behind.

"So, you finally agree with me huh?" Leo chuckled, going behind the desk and into the back office to change into his trainer uniform. Raph chuckled a little with a shrug.

"Well, it's like this... Felicia freaked out about the whole things when I got back. She was all concerned because I almost got shot..."

"You did get shot." Leo corrected, tugging on a white short sleeve t-shirt over his head with the Dojo's logo over his heart.

"Please, I was grazed." Raph scoffed as Leo rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I promised her I'd take a break for awhile until her finals are over..."

"Yeah, but this is indefinite." Leo said as Raph nodded.

"I know that, but she doesn't need to. She'll think it was all her fault or somethin'... It wasn't... I uh...Somethin', kinda happened and... Never mind it's stupid." He said with a shake of his head, turning towards the door to go help his other brother's as Leo grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"No, what?"

"Well, when Fee finally fell asleep, I... Went to the roof, ya know to clear my head... And...I don't know maybe I'm crazy or somethin' but..."

"He came to you too?" Leo asked as Raph's eyes widened for a moment.

"So, I'm not crazy?" Raph asked in a chuckle as Leo smiled along.

"No brother, you're not... What did... Um, he tell you?"

"Basically, we're gettin' too old for this shit and we need to cut it out before Willow and Felicia leave us, and that if I needed someone to talk to... You'd..."

"You know I'm always there for you when you need me brother."

"Same here bro." He shrugged as Leo smiled, putting his arm around Raphael's shoulder and leaving the office.

"I think this is the first step to a new beginning, how about you?" Leo asked, optimistically as Raphael snorted a laugh.

"OK, I thought I was crazy but, now I think you have been smokin' somethin'." He chuckled as Leonardo shoved him forward playfully by the back of his head.


	3. Unexpected Force of Nature

Felicia smiled from the small leather couch in the Dojo's waiting room, watching as Rapheal lead a class of the teenage students from the inner city program.

His large arms and hands grasped tightly behind his back observing his adolescent students as they all took their beginning stances. Stepping behind them he shouted a command making Felicia jump back from the bass of his voice vibrating through the glass.

All students followed the command and Raphael walked forward, adjusting some hands and feet along the way. He shouted again and the students followed, throwing their hands out as they all shouted the command back.

"He's really getting good with them." April said as she leaned her hip against Felicia as they both watched from the couch.

"Yeah, I mean I wouldn't suspect anything less." Felicia said with a shrug as April nodded.

"No doubt. He was a little nervous the first couple of classes and needed a time out with Leonardo..." She chucked. "Some of the kids just made such smart mouthed comments back at him, he just couldn't hold back his... Well, him." April laughed as Felicia joined in. "But now, they all respect him and he's fallen into the teacher role amazingly. Sometimes, better than Leo." She said as Felicia chuckled.

"It's something they were all meant to do." She sighed, happily as Raphael caught her looking at him for a moment and a small smirk played around his handsome human face.

The bell for the door chimed as Donnie ran in, shaking off the cold Spring rain from his jacket.

"Oh good..." He sighed, taking off his beanie hat. "I thought my class started already..." He said as he watched Raphael for a moment in the large opened space.

"Nope. Not for another twenty minuets at least. Why'd you rush here?" April asked, going back behind the desk to look at the appointment book.

"I have been feeling off all day. I fell asleep at my desk..."

"That's a shock?" Felicia chuckled as Donnie rolled his eyes.

"No, not what I was getting at. I fell asleep at my desk and Betty turned off the alarm clock because she didn't have class this morning but, I needed to get to the tech lab for seven and she forgot. She's been texting me all day that she's sorry and it's just been throwing me off... She just, won't stop. I already said it was fine but, she still thinks I'm stressed and..."

"Donnie, you are stressed. You're not exactly coming off right now as calm." April pointed out as Donnie sighed, putting his head down on the desk with a thud.

"I can't seem to get this relationship thing right yet." He muttered from beneath his moppy hair. Felicia pouted, putting her hand on his back and giving it a rub.

"You'll get there Donnie and Betty is still young so she hasn't exactly been in a long lasting relationship either. You both need to learn from one another." She said as April nodded, mussing around Donnie's hair.

"She's just sorry for what she did, and she most likely has been in relationships in the past that weren't as accepting of her apologies." April shrugged.

"Well, being a mutant turtle is kind of giving me a big disadvantage." He sighed, rubbing his face hard and running it back through his hair.

"Not as much as you think." Felicia shrugged as April nodded. "Just, tonight let her know that it was a mistake that she turned off the alarm clock. Next time, set your own on your cell phone that way if she does it again on accident you'll have a back up." Felicia said as Donnie leaned up from the desk, looking at Felicia nodding his head slowly.

"I never thought of that... A back up. That's genius." He said with a smile as Felicia chuckled.

"Says the genius. I'll leave some food out for you too tonight to make her a nice dinner. She'll love that." Felicia said tapping his shoulder. "I'm gonna go and change for tonight." She smiled as April furrowed her brow.

"What's tonight?"

"I'm not really sure. Raph is taking me out somewhere, he didn't say where or why or when but, he said to wear something nice." She shrugged as April made a face of approval.

"Seems like someone has gotten the relationship thing down." She chuckled. "Never thought that Raph would win out."

"Me either..." Felicia and Donnie said at the same time. April shook her head with a laugh.

"C'mon Donnie-Boy, I have some inventory to go over with you and some shirts we can fold for that twenty extra minuets you wanted to put in." She smiled as Donnie groaned, following April to the back room.

* * *

Raphael and Felicia sat in a swanky new sushi place in Manhattan for their date night. Felicia smiled, looking around the new restaurant popping a piece of maki roll into her mouth.

It was a beautiful old building, redone with exposed brick ceilings and Japanese art and sculptures on the walls. Felicia had walked past this place every day for months and always wanted to go in and see what all the fuss was about. She never thought it would be with Raphael, and she definitely never would have thought he'd be the one to pick it.

"This place is pretty cool huh?" She asked, looking back towards her beautiful date.

He had put on a button up dress shirt, dark blue with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He wore dress pants too which surprised her completely, she didn't even know he owned a pair aside from the suit he wore to Willow's and Izzy's weddings. But, he did tell her to dress up too which she thought or at least hoped she did.

She chewed her thumb nail down to a stub staring at her closet for nearly an hour before Betty got back home from classes. She helped Felicia finally pick out a little black dress with a pair of bright green heels she found on sale the week before and was dying to wear somewhere. The dress was simple enough, off the shoulder straps with an A-line shape. She forgot how much she loved this dress until Betty made her try it on. She was excited mostly for the fact that he hasn't seen it on her yet since most of their dates consisted of pizza and a movie.

He was pulling out all the stops tonight for her and she couldn't figure out why. Her stomach twisted in nervousness as she put on her makeup. She really hoped it wasn't anything serious... Or... Unexpected. But, this was Raphael she was talking about.

"It's alright." Raph shrugged as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"You picked it out." She chuckled, taking a sip of her paired white wine that the waiter suggested to her. Raph smirked a little taking a sip of his beer in a frosted glass.

"I know, but I just thought it would be... I don't know less packed? There are a lot of people in here." He said, shifting uncomfortably as a laughing couple passed their table.

"Did you wanna go?" Felicia asked, wiping her mouth on a black cotton napkin.

"No, no. The food is good at least. It's just not what I suspected." He shrugged as she nodded.

"Yeah, I should have told you it was gonna be busy. A lot of the moms at the Dojo have been talking about it and some people from school." She sighed, looking around and noticing herself that it was a little over consumed with people. "Let's go." She said nodding her head to the door as he shook his.

"Nah babe really, it's fine." He said, using his chopsticks and picking up a piece of sushi to his mouth. "It is really good." He said with a smirk as she smiled too picking up a piece herself.

They sat enjoying their meal for some time as Felicia smiled happily around the restaurant looking at all the art. Her smile turned into a frown fast as she noticed a familiar, unwelcome face approaching their table. Raphael looked up at her, his smile transferring slowly too as his brow furrowed noticing her expression.

"What is it?" He asked as she sighed, putting her head down and covering her face with her hand.

"Felicia?" A male voice said from beside her as a large hand landed on her bare shoulder. She notice Raph shift in his seat as the unfamiliar man touched her. "Oh my God, it's been so long!" He said, leaning down and giving her an unexpected, unwanted hug. She winced at the face Raphael made.

"Oh wow... Seth. Hi." She said uneasily, getting from the booth and giving him a half-hearten hug back. "Um, it has been awhile..."

"Yeah, seven years. Wow, how have you been? You look amazing, the long hair suits you." He said with a smile, pulling her long hair through his fingers that cascaded over one shoulder in curls. Raphael cleared his throat, standing up from the booth as Felicia looked over at him.

"This is Raph my..."

"Boyfriend." He finished for her, putting his hand out and shaking Seth's hand a little harsher than the poor new comer excepted.

"Hey, nice grip." He chuckled nervously. "So Fee, wow. Have you graduated yet or...?"

"Oh, no not yet. Almost though." She said with a shrug, looking over towards Raphael quickly. She knew if Seth attempted to touch her again his hand would be broken.

"Well, with those movies you used to make in high school it's not a surprise you would want to take that talent all the way." He smiled again. "It was um, really good to see you Felicia." He said leaning in towards her as she leaned back towards the booth. She noticed Raphael shift forward towards them out of the corner of her eye. "We should get together sometime, catch up?" He asked, looking over at Raphael quickly before looking back at Felicia. Her face heated and her eyes went down to her shoes trying to swallow the nervousness. She

"Um, yeah... Maybe?" She shrugged, biting her lip as she looked back towards Seth.

"Awesome." Seth said, giving Felicia another hug as she patted his back once before he let go. "See ya soon. Raph, nice to meet you. Take care of her, she's special." He said, giving Raph's shoulder a squeeze in passing as he walked out of the restaurant. Raphael watched him walk out of the restaurant, his back towards Felicia as she watched his whole body tense, hands into fists at his sides. He turned back towards her as she winced to his expression.

"Who the fuck was that?" Raph asked, as Felicia took her seat back in the booth, taking a big gulp of wine. Raph continued to stand watching her with his arms crossed over his board chest.

"My ex." She sighed with a shrug.

"He was awful friendly for an ex." He said, still standing as Felicia looked around the restaurant.

"Please sit." She said as he glared back towards the door, sitting hard in the booth. "I broke it off with him because we just didn't... Connect well? Like, there was no spark. I don't know, I was just out of high school." She shrugged as Raph listened to her, his large arms still crossed over his chest.

"Really? And did you wanna get that connection back while you two 'catch up'? I mean, what the hell was that about? I'm standin' right here." He said tossing his arms out as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"I only said that to be nice. I didn't want him touchin' me anymore than you did. He always liked to get a rise out of other guys when they came around me. Him and Tyler had at it once and Logan had to intervene... It was ridiculous..." She sighed, taking another large gulp. "He was always overly jealous of other guys and..."

"Good. You're mine now."

"I don't exactly _belong_ to anyone. You're my boyfriend. I am not going anywhere but, I'm not a piece of property Raphael." She said, a little irritated as Raph turned his glare on her now.

"You really wanna tell me that after that preppy fuck just drooled all over you?"

"I don't want to fight over this..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I have no intention of speaking with or seeing Seth again. I love you and only want to be with you but, that does not make me your play thing." She said clenching tightly onto the black cloth napkin as Raphael sighed, sitting back in the booth.

"I never called you that..."

"Well, sayin' I'm yours kinda makes me feel like that..." She said with a shrug as he sighed, uncrossing his arms from his broad chest and reaching over the table to her hands grasping tightly around the napkin. He opened her hand, lacing their fingers together over the black, foe marble table.

"That is the last thing I want. I just, get over protective of you." He shrugged. "I'm sorry, I overreacted." He said as her eyes widened a bit.

"Y-you're apologizing?" She asked as he smiled, chuckling to himself.

"You're actin' as if I've never done it before?" He asked as she furrowed her brow.

"Never this quickly." She said eying him carefully as pulled her hand to his mouth for a kiss over the top of it.

"First time for everything." He shrugged.

* * *

Raphael opened up the street entrance to the lair and welcomed Felicia inside. She smiled over at him as he closed the metal door behind him.

"Why are we here again?" Felicia asked looking around the eerily dark and empty garage that used to be filled with gadgets and bike parts.

"I forgot somethin'." Raph shrugged, taking her hand and leading her to the makeshift elevator. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and knew he was up to something.

"What did you forget?" She asked just before the doors to the lair opened. She gasped as she saw the trail of candles illuminating their way to his old bedroom.

"I didn't want to get disturbed." He said with a smile, still holding her hand and taking her through the path.

"You did all this?" She asked, noticing some candles down below in the old living room sitting on top of tables and chairs.

"Yeah, Willow helped a little she bought the candles but... I set it up." He shrugged. Felicia started to feel prickles of tears in her eyes as he opened his old bedroom door.

The bed was gone, along with most of his furniture but, he had laid pillows and blankets down along the floor outlined by candles and burning incense.

"It's beautiful." She sighed as he kissed her cheek.

"You're beautiful." He said softly as he pulled her into the room, closing the door softly behind him. Felicia smiled, sitting down on the soft pillows and blankets and making herself comfortable. She noticed two glasses and a wine bottle near the head of the makeshift bed and grabbed a glass for herself.

Raphael took the glass from her hands and poured her some wine, giving it back to her before pouring himself one.

"You don't drink wine." She said with a questioning smirk as he shrugged taking a small swig.

"Meh, it's not so bad." He shrugged, taking another small sip.

"So, what's the occasion?" She asked, looking around his old room.

"I need an occasion to do this?" He asked as she shrugged.

"Doesn't seem like a "Raphael" sort of thing." She said with a shy smile as he smiled back, leaning closer to her and kissing her cheek.

"Well, that's exactly the reason I'm doin' it." He said against her skin as he moved his soft lips down towards her neck.

"Did you wanna, um... Change?" She asked softly as she felt his head shake against her chin.

"No. I don't wanna leave this moment." He said as she felt her stomach strike with heat and roll through her limbs. "Plus, I wanna try it." He said with a smile in his tone a she felt goosebumps crawl all over her.

"I-I thought it was stupid..." She said as he shrugged.

"When I've been like this day after day, what's the difference? I'm still me." He said looking up at her as she nodded.

"That's what I've been tryin' to tell you all..." Before she could finish he moved in for a kiss, putting his hands around the back of her head and pressing her body tightly to his. He hadn't kissed her like this in his human form in a long time. The feeling of his five 0'clock shadow tickling her cheeks, his large five fingered hands roaming her body, pulling and tugging it closer to his hard chest and abdomen.

He laid her against the soft blankets and pillows letting her catch her breath as he moved down her neck to her chest. He leaned up off from her body and starting undoing the buttons of his shirt. Felicia leaned up on her elbows, watching as his toned, hard skin started to become visible. He smiled down at her knowingly, tossing the dress shirt to the side out of the way of the candles.

The illumination from the candles bounced along his hard body, showing off the beautiful definition. She reached a hand up to his stomach laying her palm down on his warm skin. Running her hand up the trail of dark hair that lead to his chest, covering over his pectorals. Taking a finger she slowly trace the definition of his body under his pecks, down the line of his abdomen, to the V shaped indentations of his hips. She looked up at him as he smiled down at her, watching her ever move. She leaned forward, kissing her lips to his perfect stomach, feeling the tickle of hair against her lips.

It had been awhile since she saw him like this before her. He'd get home from work, or the Dojo and enter the bathroom, coming back out as his normal self. She loved it. She loved him but this, how he was finally willing to do this with her, as a human was something she never thought would happen. She could feel her excitement growing in her stomach from the sight of him.

He was beautiful either way to her but this, a perfect specimen of a man hovering over her. A man she loved and could call her own, was just too much. Her body was on overdrive. She was hyper aware of every touch and scent in this room. His hand traced feather like touches along the outside of her arm as he let her look at him. She knew this moment she could remember forever. In her old age with him by her side she would smile looking back at this moment, remembering what they once where. She chuckled to herself at the thought. The two of them on a porch somewhere in the country, rocking in rocking chairs and their faces winked from years of love and laughter.

"What's so funny?" He asked, leaning back down to her. His thick forearms resting on either side of her head, his muscles and tendons stretching and rolling under his skin from the movement. She looked over at them and to the dark hair that ran along the tops of them and up to his biceps. She sighed, leaning over and kissing one then looking back up at his face from under her lashes.

"You're so perfect." She sighed as he rolled his eyes, leaning down and kissing her smiling lips. He slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders, slowly pulling it down her body. She sighed happily, closing her eyes with a growing smile on her face as he chuckled a little, kissing the skin of her chest as it slowly became exposed.

"You're enjoying this huh?" He asked though a chuckle as she nodded her head. "The best part hasn't even come yet." He said as she opened her eyes to his devilish grin.

"Oh yeah? And what part is that?" She asked, leaning up on her elbows as he looked down at her perfect, bra covered chest. He flicked his finger between the cups of her bra letting the clasp release as she glared at him playfully, pulling the strapless bra slowly away from her body. "You gonna rock my world big guy?" She asked in a chuckle as he crawled back up her body slowly, his nose skimming the top of her skin carefully, and agonizingly slowly. Her breath caught in her throat as his tongue touched the perk of her breast just for a moment as his face reached hers.

"Somethin' like that." He said keeping that devilish smile as another set of goosebumps ran through her body.

She reached up to the back of his head, pulling him down to her quickly as their lips met in a hurried kiss. She needed it, and the feel of hair over his board chest brushing against her sensitive skin was making her press him harder to her body. He smiled, pulling away from her as his hands went to the belt of his dress pants.

She licked her lips in anticipation, watching his forearms flex and twitch as he got the belt undone and pulled them down. She could feel his excitement on her when they were kissing and it only made her body sing with excitement of her own. She leaned up, helping him get his pants off quicker as he chuckled at her reaction to her tugging his pants and boxer briefs from his body.

She looked up at him as he got to his feet, kicking off his pants to the side of the room where her dress now lay. He slowly knelt back down to her, putting his hand on her shoulder and guiding her body back down to the blankets.

"Are you sure you..." She said softly as he smiled, kissing her lips.

"More than sure." He sighed as she nodded. He put his hand on the back of her thigh, lifting it up under his arm as he laid over her.

She closed her eyes, her heart beating in anticipation as he slowly entered her. He groaned aloud to the feeling of her around him as her back arched off the blankets. Her hands reached up behind his shoulder feeling his shoulder blades moving and twitching under her palms as she searched his back, exposed and free.

"Jesus..." He sighed, putting his face into her neck. She felt him move into her, completely his stomach flush to hers. He leaned up from her, moving so he was on his knees and looked down at their bodies connected. She watched him watch himself move in and out of her body as his head fell back in another groan. "Holy fuck, that's beautiful." He said, looking down at their bodies once more before looking at her face. Putting his hands behind her back, he pulled her up to his lap kissing her lips hard, their teeth clashing together as he opened her mouth wider with his tongue. She rolled her hips over his as he moaned again, gripping his fingers into the thick skin on her backside. "Jesus Christ... Do that again." He said, his breathing coming in short gasps as she smiled, doing it again moving her body up his and back down, flush to his lap. "Oh, fuck... This isn't the last time we're doing this." He panted as she smiled at him, scratching her finger nails down the center of his back.

"I hope not..." She said in a smokey tone as he grabbed her backside, moving her body on his faster. She threw her head back in ecstasy as they continued throughout the night.

* * *

The sound of an annoying ring tone repetitively singing out something about a thousand years woke Raph out of one of the best night sleeps of his life. He leaned up from his position on his stomach, looking over at the naked form of his beautiful girlfriend in a blissful, undistributed slumber. He smiled to himself knowing he was the only reason she was completely knocked out.

"Hello..." He sighed, his voice still thick from sleep.

"Raph? Where's Felicia?" Willow asked as he groaned, rolling onto his naked back, putting his forearm over his face.

"Right here." He said, looking over at her smooth naked shoulders raising and falling in deep breaths.

"Right where? I'm in your guys' room and you're not in here." She said, tapping her foot as she sat on the edge of their large king sized bed.

"We're at the lair." He sighed, leaning up as Felicia started to stir in her sleep. She yawned, stretching out with a little high pitched squeal she always did as she woke. He smirked at her as her face turned bright red to the remembrance of the previous evening.

"Why are you at the lair?" She asked as Raph rolled his eyes.

"Here's Fee." He said handing Felicia her phone as she furrowed her brow. "I'm gonna go get us some coffee." He said, kissing the side of her face as she smiled with a nod.

"Hello?" She asked with a yawn as Willow sighed on the other end.

"What's going on, where are you?"

"I'm at the lair with Raph." She said running a hand through her knotted hair,

"Are you just waking up? It's almost one." Willow asked, looking at her cell phone clock as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"And I'm on vacation with my boyfriend." She said with a shrug. She pulled a blanket up around her exposed body, sitting up on the comfortable pillows. "Why are you tweaking, what's wrong?" She asked as Willow sighed.

"I was just worried." She said as Felicia chuckled a little.

"Raph had a surprise for me so, he took me out for dinner and back to the liar. He said he didn't want us to be disturbed." She said as Willow hummed in approval.

"Leo's done that a time or two." She said with a chuckle as Felicia nodded.

"Has he light the whole lair with candles and made his room into his beautiful love fortress?" Felicia asked as Willow gasped on the other end.

"He finally did that? God, it was about time!" She chuckled. "I bought those candles forever ago. Did he...?" She hesitated. She knew Raphael had wanted the candles, asking her to buy them for him months ago but when she asked why he didn't give her a straight answer. He just said he needed them and that was all. She was dying to know for what and why he needed over a hundred candles.

"Did he what?" Felicia asked as she furrowed her brow.

"Ya know... Purpose?" She asked as Felicia started laughing out loud.

"Are you kiddin' me? No. We had sex. Amazing, outrageous sex." She said as Willow sighed.

"Really? That's all he was doing that for, was for sex? Typical."

"Not really. It was very... Different." Felicia said with a smile.

"Different how?"

"He stayed human..." She said as Willow made a noise of confusion on the other end.

"Really? He's so, against it." She said as Felicia nodded.

"I know but, something was different about last night. He was so...I don't know. His demeanor was just so calm and understanding. I mean, we ran into Seth at the restaurant and..."

"Whoa, wait... What?" Willow asked, sitting back down on Felicia and Raphael's bed.

"Yeah." Felicia sighed. "He's such an idiot. He was basically having a peeing contest on my leg with Raph and Raph was just not having it. I thought he was gonna rip his arm out of his socket and beat him with it."

"Ugh, my God. He was always such a douche, I was so glad when you dumped his needy ass."

"Believe me, not as happy as I was..." Felicia chuckled. "But anyways, after when Seth left having hugging me for the millionth time Raph was pissed, obviously but when we sat down and I explained that _I_ dumped Seth and ended it with him he apologized for overreacting."

"Raph... Apologized?" Willow asked in a confused laugh. "Are you sure it was Raphael?"

"I know! I was as shocked as you were. He was so, mature. It was amazing. And then coming back to the lair and the candles..."

"You honestly didn't think he was going to purpose?"

"I-I did think about it, I'm not gonna lie. But, It's Raph. He's not the marrying type remember." She said bitterly as Willow rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, he just might be." Willow shrugged. "Is he there?"

"No, he went to go get coffee."

"Oh good... So, how was it?" Willow asked in a giggle. Felicia's face turned a bright pink as she looked around the room. The candles from the previous evening were burnt down and covered in hardened wax, their clothing was a mess around the outside of the pillows and blankets.

"It was... Different." She smiled.

"It is isn't it? Not in a bad way or really saying that as a turtle their any worse or better, but just as a human..."

"The angles they can reach..." Felicia sighed, feeling her thighs start to tingle.

"Yeah..." Willow sighed wishfully. "Wow, so I'm glad you guys had a good night. I'm just ya know..."

"Crazy Italian woman that gets worried over anything?" Felicia asked as Willow sighed.

"Yes. Oh God... I'm turning into my mother..." Willow sighed, shaking her head in her hands as Felicia chuckled.

"I'm sorry sweetheart but, you've been Maggie for years now and you're not realizing it?" She asked in a laugh as Willow joined in.

"Shut up."


	4. I'm sorry What?

Felicia could hear the singing of birds and people of New York getting ready for the day ahead as she woke in the large shared bed. Stretching her body out and feeling the empty space next to her, she frowned looking over at Raphael's large impression on the mattress. She knew he wanted to get up early and head to the dojo, she just wasn't thinking this early.

She looked over at her alarm clock and it's glaring red numbers reading nearly 11am.

"I guess it's not that early..." She muttered with a yawn and another stretch. Lazily she got to her feet only to sit back down quickly, putting her hand to her head. "Jesus...Must have got up too fast." She said to herself, trying to get up from the bed once more. She walked into the adjoining bathroom to their bedroom looking in the vanity mirror. She groaned to herself looking at her tried face. "I should start using face cream..." She sighed. "I'm starting to look like my mother."

She walked into the kitchen, noticing that Raphael had already had a pot of coffee made. She smiled to herself seeing her favorite coffee mug next to the coffee machine with a small note underneath it.

_"Hey babe,  
I headed in early to help Leo. Be back later. I'll give you a call.  
Love you.  
Raph"_

She loved that he was that thoughtful to leave a note. Years ago he would have left and she wouldn't of heard from him all day. He was getting better at this dating thing. She understood now why it took Leo so long to ask Willow to marry her. She laughed to herself at the thought as she sat at her small kitchen table sipping her coffee.

"Hey Feefee." Betty said with a yawn as she entered the kitchen, taking a mug from the cabinet. "Raphie leave early?" She asked plopping down in the seat next to Felicia as she nodded.

"Yeah said something about helping Leo."

"Yeah, Don left around like four this morning." She said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't know how they can do it."

"Apparently Leo used to get them up at that time everyday for training. Raph tried it with me once, I lasted a week." She chuckled.

"I would have lasted punching Donnie in the throat and going back to bed." Betty said taking a sip of her coffee as Felicia shook her head.

"I can't believe Willow did it for months."

"I know, remember how she looked? She was ripped." Betty chuckled. "She looks good now though. Having some meat on her suits her. You too, you were too skinny in high school."

"I don't know about all that. I've felt pretty disgusting the past couple weeks." She sighed as Betty rolled her eyes.

"And how does Raph feel about that?"

"I don't tell him that kinda shit. He'd think I was ridiculous."

"You are ridiculous." Betty laughed. Felicia shrugged getting up to get another cup of coffee and felt dizzy again as she stood. She gripped the back of her chair as Betty looked up at her worried.

"You alright?" She asked as Felicia shook her head, hanging it between her shoulders.

"No..." She sighed. "I feel..." She put her hands to her mouth, rushing off to the bathroom in the hallway. Betty watched as the door slammed and the sound of Felicia getting sick in the toilet traveled it's way into the kitchen. Betty looked at her cup of coffee and pushed it aside, getting up from the table to going to the bathroom door.

"Fee.." She said softly knocking. "You OK, you need some water?"

Felicia hung her head inside the cool porcelain bowl as she groaned, trying to push herself back. She breathed heavily out of her mouth, closing her eyes as she turned her head to the ceiling. Rubbing her head on the back of her hand, back and forth trying to push away the dizziness she flushed the toilet and tried to get back to her feet.

Opening the door a little Betty looked in to see Felicia leaning against the vanity sink letting the water run cold. Cupping her hands Felicia splashed the cooling water onto her hot face as Betty took a washed cloth from the cupboard dropping it into the shallow sink to run it under the water. Felicia tried to smile at her young friend as she guided her back to the toilet, sitting her down. Betty placed the cool wash cloth over Felicia's forehead as she groaned, putting her head back against the wall.

"Maybe it was something you ate?" Betty asked as Felicia shrugged.

"I don't know... I made burgers last night but, you know me. I can't eat one unless its a hockey puck." She sighed as Betty nodded.

"And I ate them, along with Donnie and Raph, I don't feel sick?"

"I don't know..." She sighed getting up from the toilet as Betty held her friend's hand to guide her back towards the vanity mirror. She groaned at her reflection, her gray skin and eyes glossed over. She had to be getting the flu.

"You should go lay down. I'll text Don." Betty said as Felicia rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"No, don't do that. I'll just go lay down. I'm already feeling better." She lied, moving towards the door on her unsteady feet. She leaned on Betty for a moment before going out of the bathroom on her own. "I just need some orange juice." She said as Betty followed her, keeping her hands out in case she needed to catch her wobbly friend.

"Well, I'm gonna hang around here so, if you need anything give me a holler." Betty said as Felicia nodded, making her way into her bedroom.

Betty went to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and some OJ to bring to Felicia's room.

"Here ya go sweet pea. Please, call me if you need anything. I'm gonna clean up my room a little and if you're hungry let me know, I'll make you some toast and soup." She said as Felicia smiled with a nod, laying her head down on her soft pillows.

Opening her eyes again, what felt like seconds later she noticed the darkening sky behind her dark green shear curtains. Groaning to herself, she tried to push onto her back but, was stopped by a large hand on her shoulder. She smiled at the familiarity of it, looking up at his dark familiar eyes wrapped in red.

"You're up." He said with a smile over his normal green face. She felt the bed give to his weight and he kissed her forehead with a frown. "You're warm. Don!" He called as Felicia sighed.

"I don't need Doctor Don to examine me. It's just a stomach bug." She shrugged as Donnie came in the room, flicking their light on. Felicia squinted, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Sorry..." Donnie said, taking Raphael's seat next to her on the bed. "Under your tongue please." He said, holding out a thermometer. Felicia rolled her eyes, opening her mouth as Donnie put the thermometer in her mouth. "You threw up this morning?" He asked as she nodded. "Anything since then?" She shook her head as the thermometer beeped. "Huh..." He said looking at the number. "It's high, one hundred and one." he sighed as Felicia did too.

"See, just a stomach bug." She shrugged as Donnie nodded.

"Most likely, but... Can I take a blood sample? Just in case?" He asked as Felicia rolled her eyes, sticking her arm out. Donnie smiled, going back to his bedroom and returning with a kit.

"He's only being cautious." Raphael assured her as Felicia nodded, putting her head back on the soft pillows. "Are you cold, or... warm?" He asked as she looked towards the windows.

"It's a little warm in here?" She said as he nodded and opened the window for her.

Donatello entered the room with gloves over his human hands and small black case. He opened the case next to Felicia on the nightstand, taking out a sanitize wipe. He rubbed it over Felicia's inside elbow before taking a syringe from it's place in the case and searching for a vein. He pressed his gloved thumb along her arm until he felt her pulse, and a vein made itself known in her milky complexion. Felicia looked away, biting her bottom lip as she felt the small prick of the needle go into her skin.

"There, all done." He said with a smile as he put a small band-aid on. "I'd give you a lollipop but, I don't want you to throw up on me." Donnie said with a chuckle as Felicia smiled along.

"What are you gonna do with that now?" Felicia asked as Don looked at her blood in the vial.

"Probably go down to the lab and see if there is anything going on." He shrugged. "You're probably right it's most likely just the flu but, better safe than sorry." He said as Felicia nodded, reluctantly.

"You'll let me know if something is off?" Raph asked as Donnie nodded.

"Of course bro." He nodded as Raph sighed, sitting back down next to Felicia.

"It's just a bug." She said, trying to reassure him as Donnie left the room and Raphael pushed Felicia over, laying down beside her.

"I'd rather know that for sure than not know and have it be something else." He said as Felicia rolled her eyes closed, laying her head back against her pillow. "You need anything?"

"Just you." She sighed sleepily as she felt a soft kiss on her cheek before sleep took her again.

* * *

Donatello entered the lonely liar from a way that hadn't been used in years.

The man hole cover was hard to move, but pushing away the dust and spider webs was worse. Dropping down into the dark hole, he took out his shell cell, lighting the path a little better.

He was feeling nostalgic he guessed... Going down this way, as a turtle with his bo staff strapped to his shell just seemed normal. He felt as though normalcy was missing in his life lately. Well, their kind of normal.

Walking to the large brick wall ahead he pulled down the correct pipe as the doors to the liar slid open. They moved slower than they should have and stopped only about half way. Donnie poked his head in, pushing the wall back a little as he looked over the release mechanism he installed in his teenage years. He hummed to himself, moving ahead some debris and cobwebs from the leavers.

"Some WD40 and it should be good as new." He said, turning towards the lair and walking into the main, large room. He went into his lab, taking the veil of Felicia's blood and putting it on a glass slab for his telescope.

"What are you doing?" He heard his brother say from behind him, making his whole body jump from the seat he was in. He looked over his shoulder at his brother in blue, normal green self strapping his katana to his shell.

"I took some of Felicia's blood to test. She's sick. What are you doing?"

"Needed a break." Leonardo said with a shrug as he looked over Donnie's shoulder. "You too I take it." He said with a smile, slapping his brother's shell.

"Yeah, well... It's an amazing thing what I did and all but, I miss it." He shrugged as Leo nodded.

"Does Betty..."

"She understands... But, you know me I like my space." He said looking back at the droplet of blood in his microscope as Leonardo nodded. "... Huh." Donnie said, mostly to himself as he slid his computer chair over to his other desk, grabbing some solutions to drop into Felicia's blood and seeing how they reacted.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked as Donnie shrugged.

"I'm not exactly sure. I've never seen this before. She's not sick, that's for sure. However, her blood isn't responding normally."

"What else could it be?" Leo asked as Donnie looked up at his older brother for a moment, his face furrowed in a frown.

"I-I'm not sure. I mean, it looks...I-I don't think it's even possible? Could be just a dirty glass, I'll grab another one." He said, taking the glass out from underneath the microscope and looking through his files for a new one. He examined the glass in the bright lights overhead, twisiting it to make sure there was no debris on it. Place it back underneath the microscope after placing a droplet of blood back in the center he adjusted the lens once more. "Wow..." He said to himself as Leonardo, crossed his arms over his plastron, trying to look over his nerdy brother's shoulder.

"What wow?" He asked as Donnie, looked back at him.

"I-I think I need to call Felicia." He said as Leo furrowed his brow.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"It's not _wrong_ per-say... Just..." He stammered for a moment looking around his lab. "Here!" He said, getting from his computer chair and grabbing a book from off the shelf. "Read this." He said opening up to the correct page in the book and handing it to Leo.

"The Female Anatomy? Don... I'm well aware of..."

"No, no not that, this." He said pointing towards the lower section of the biology book.

"Pregnancy? You think Felicia is pregnant?" He chuckled as Don shrugged. "If Willow hasn't what makes you think Felicia has?"

"Blood sample." Donnie said with a roll of his eyes pointing towards the microscope.

"OK, sure... But, first of all Willow and I have been together way longer than those two and have had... She's hasn't been pregnant, at least not that I know of... A-are you _sure_ it's true? You can't go announcing something like that to Felicia, to Raphael? Think for a second." He said, putting the book down on Donnie's lab table and his hands on his little brother's shoulders. "If you're certain than I think you should let them know something is up but, what if you're wrong and they get their hopes up or if Raph does something... Gee, I don't know hot headed?"

"That's true..." Donnie said with a sigh, sitting down in his chair. "But, the complications she could have throughout. The sickness, morning sickness she'll get... What if they're DNA isn't compatible with one another, what if she has a turtle..." He said with a wince, almost as if it was a bad word. Leo grimaced as well, shaking his head.

"All things you do not need to worry about right now. Look at the sample again, do some research on it. You just gave it a glance, maybe something changed?" Leo said with a shrug as Donnie took a breath.

"I need to look some things up. It would be helpful if I took samples of Izzy's blood while she was pregnant..." He sighed as Leo chuckled.

"Yeah, that would have gone over well." He said.

"I should call Felicia and let her know... Something." He sighed.

"Just, don't tell her... That." Leo said as Donnie nodded, dialing his cell phone.

"Hello?" Felicia answered, recognizing the number instantly. Raphael leaned over so he could hear his brother's end of the conversation. Felicia rolled her eyes, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Hey Fee, uh... How are you feeling?"

"Better. I ate something and kept it down and I can stand without wanting to pass out." She chuckled as Donnie smiled along with a nod.

"Good, good. Uh... So, you blood seems OK..."

"OK... But?"

"But... There is something strange about it. I need to do some more research on it, but don't worry OK."

"OK..." She said confused as she looked at Raphael that muted the TV next to her.

"What's going on?" He asked as Felicia shrugged.

"I'll keep you posted." Donnie said as Felicia nodded, and Donnie hung up.

"Huh..." She said looking at her cell phone screen dim. "That was weird. I've never known Donnie to be cryptic."

"What the hell does he have to be cryptic about? You're either sick, or not sick."

"I guess I'm not sick." She said with a shrug as Raph looked at her unbelieving.

"Then why'd he call? I'm gonna go see what he's doing." He said getting up from the couch as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Why? He'll come back here tonight anyways to tell me what's going on. I'm not sick, it's probably iron deficiency or something. Don't worry. Please, sit and finish watching this with me." She said, patting the seat next to her as he looked at her for a moment before sitting back down.

"Fine, but if he can't figure this out you're going to a real doctor." He said, pointing a finger in her face as she rolled her eyes kissing it.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Willow sat on the couch, flipping aimlessly through channels before hearing the window in the guest room slide open and shut. She smiled to herself, getting up from the couch to lean against the door frame of the other room.

"There's my night in shinning armor." She said with a smile as Leonardo rolled his eyes, putting his arm around her waist to pull her into his plastron for a kiss. "I missed you." She pouted as he kissed her once more.

"I saw you before I left." He said, heading back towards their room as she nodded.

"I know, how was your spacious workout?" She asked as he smirked at the choice of her words, putting his katana in their hold on his side of the room over his dresser.

"It was good. Weirdly silent in that place until Donnie showed up."

"I thought that's what you wanted? Space and quiet?" She asked, sitting on the edge of their bed as he sighed, turning to look at her.

"I didn't mean space from you." He said as she shrugged.

"It's fine if you do, I like my space sometimes." She said as he nodded.

"So, this isn't a fight?" He asked as she smiled a little.

"No, I understand you need space and quiet and your meditation. I just, missed you." She shrugged. "I rarely get to see you during the week and on weekends I'm busy with the Hayden's kids or going to see mum... It's just I don't know, I miss you." She sighed as he smiled, going to stand in front of her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly.

"I missed you too." He said softly, looking down into her eyes as she smiled up at him.

"So, what was Don doing there?" She asked as he went back to taking off his gear.

"He was checking Felicia's blood for something, she was sick earlier I guess."

"Oh, yeah... She texted me something about Donnie being cryptic."

"Yeah, he couldn't figure out what was wrong. Her blood wasn't responding as though it was sick but, it didn't seem normal to him.

"Huh... Maybe she's pregnant." Willow said with a chuckle as Leo stopped unwrapping his hands looking back at his wife as she sat on the edge of their bed. She was nonchalantly flipping through a magazine that was left on her side of the bed, shaking her head at the celebrities within it's pages.

"That would be something..." He said, turning back towards what he was doing.

"Yeah... Something ridiculous." Willow said with a roll of her eyes, tossing the magazine onto her nightstand. "What do you want for dinner? Izzy is gonna bring Avery over later and I have to make him mac and cheese anyways so I might as well cook us something just as delicious." She chuckled as Leo smirked, kissing the side of his wife's face.

"Anything you make sounds good to me. I'm gonna shower and get changed." He said, grabbing some human clothing and heading into their master bath.

Willow smiled to herself as she walked into the hallway, making her way down to the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at the noises coming out of Riley's bedroom, smiling wider to herself.

"Well, at least I know _they'll_ be hungry." She chuckled going into the kitchen. She started dinner.

* * *

"Riley, do you have the corset I let you borrow before I was pregnant? I think I can actually fit into it again and Zachary and I were thinking of heading up to Manhattan next week."

"Do you have a sitter?" Willow asked willingly as she hopping with baby Avery on her hip. Leo watched happily over her shoulder.

"Oh that would be awesome! He loves you guys... Especially his Uncle Leo." Izzy smiled as Avery held tightly onto Leonardo's human finger.

"He is rather fond of you." Willow smiled as Mikey got from the table and started making faces over Willow's other shoulder. Avery watched him for a moment before a squealing laugh came from his small lungs. Avery squirmed his way up and over Willow's shoulder as Mikey held his hands out for the little boy.

"I'm totally the better uncle." He chuckled, sticking his tongue out towards Leo as the older brother rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but not by marriage." Izzy said as Riley snorted.

"We're not even sister so, that's irrelevant."

"Whatever, do you have the thing or not?"

"Yeah, yeah it's in my top dresser draw." Riley said waving her hand at her friend as she watched her handsome boyfriend blow raspberries into a giggling Avery's stomach.

Izzy made her way into Riley and Michelangelo's bedroom, going over to a dresser and opening the top draw. She furrowed her brow, noticing the men's socks and underwear. She rolled her eyes to herself, about to close the draw before something caught her eye. She moved a sock out of the way with her well manicured nails and saw the velvet black box that lay underneath.

"That's Mikey's..." Riley stated as Izzy picked up the box, turning to her friend with an opened mouth. "Whatever it is put it back, he's weird about his underwear." She said in a chuckle as Izzy closed her mouth quickly, rushing over to their bedroom door and shutting it behind her softly.

"Mikey is gonna purpose to you!" She squealed as quietly as she could. Riley rolled her eyes.

"He does that every day." She said, noticing the small black box in Izzy's hand. "That's probably like a prized action figure or something, put it back before he freaks." She said as Izzy rolled her eyes opening the box.

"Oh my god... He has taste." She gasped, looking down at the piece of jewelry that lay surrounded by crushed velvet.

"Will you quit it!" Riley said closing the small box in her friend's hand. "You don't even know that's what it is." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're right..." Izzy said disbelievingly. "I mean, who buys a ruby encrusted diamond ring and leaves it in his sock draw? Not a mutant turtle now turned sex on legs because he doesn't know any better and probably thought that was a _totally awesome_ place to hide it." Izzy said as Riley rose an eyebrow to the description of the ring.

"Rubies huh?" She asked as Izzy smirked, slowly starting to open the box again. She turned to ring towards her friend as Riley looked down at it fondly.

It really was beautiful. The diamond was cushion cut with a halo of rubies around it. The band was white gold, or platinum, either way it looked expensive. Not her type though, and she would think by now Mikey would know that? She furrowed her brow at it taking it out of the box to examine it better.

"Is it not beautiful?" Izzy asked as Riley shrugged.

"It's not exactly my type..." She said as Izzy scoffed at her.

Mikey opened the door behind them and both women jumped. Mikey jumped back himself, putting a hand to his chest.

"Jesus babe..." He breathed and then furrowed his brow as he noticed the small ring. "What uh... What's that?" He asked as Riley's face turned a bright red.

"Um...Nothing." Izzy said, snatching the ring quickly from Riley's hand and putting it back in the box and behind her back. "Something I wanted to show her." She shrugged as Mikey arched an eye brow, putting his strong hand on Izzy shoulder and turning her slowly so her back was to him.

"Uh huh..." He sighed, taking the box from her. "Ya know Izzy my dresser and Riley's aren't exactly similar. Ya know bras and thongs and then there's Riley's dresser." He said, folding her arms over his chest. Izzy looked at him for a moment with her head cocked to the side. Riley snorted out a laugh, before Mikey looked over at her with the same stern expression.

"He looks like Leo when he does that." Izzy said with a giggle as Riley shook her head.

"Babe, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to ruin a surprise or... Something? Izzy was being snoopy again! Because, that's all she does." She said, glaring at her red headed friend who's mouth dropped in shock.

"Me?! You took it out of the box!"

"You took it out of his sock draw!"

"Ok, ok... Let's relax here for a minuet. You didn't ruin anything." Mikey chuckled.

"What?" They both asked as Mikey rolled his eyes, putting the ring back into his top draw.

"It's not my ring... Well, it's not Riley's, I mean rubies? I have better taste than that." He chuckled as Riley sighed happily.

"Then who's is it?" Izzy asked as Mikey shrugged. "It's obviously one of your brothers..." She said as he shrugged again. "Donatello better have a much better ring if he thinks he is going to marry my sister!" She said as Riley rolled her eyes, pushing her towards the door.

"It's not Donnie's." Mikey called after them in a sing song voice as Izzy and Riley looked at each other.

"It's obviously not Raph's." Izzy said, walking into the kitchen.

"What's not Raph's?" Willow asked as she make an airplane noise, moving a spoon of food into Avery's mouth.

"The ring Mikey is hiding in his sock draw."

"What?" Leo and Willow both asked as Riley chuckled.

"It's not mine, apparently. It's not Donnie's either..."

"No, if it was Donnie Mikey would be the last person he would ask to hide it for him." Willow chuckled as Mikey furrowed his brow.

"Hey..."


	5. Brother's Intuition

Never underestimate that feeling of worry. The gnawing, undoubtable feeling of guilt taking over all consumption of thought. It comes in the darkest times missconstruting timing, logic and knowledge into something that it's not. Gut wrenching doubt takes over and you can't do anything but sit back and let it happen, trying to convince yourself that it isn't your fault for that split moment of clarity. It's not something that will help in a situation when you're under pressure, something that I've had to learn from my brother's and father throughout the years helping this city. But, this… This was something incrediably different.

"Uh… Hey Raph…" Donatello said very carefully as he starting setting up mats in the large Dojo room, getting ready for his next class. Raphael made a b-line for his younger brother, grabbing him by the collar of his white t-shirt and nearly picking him off his lanky feet.

"What in the hell is wrong with Felicia?! You were cryptic? What the fuck is that Donnie? You can't tell her, but you're tellin' me! What is wrong with Felicia?" He nearly screamed in his brother's face as Michelangelo and Leonardo both looked up from what they were doing, rushing over to the angered red faced brother.

"Whoa, whoa… Raph, take it easy man." Mikey said putting his hand on Raph's large human arm, trying to pull it off of Donnie' shirt.

"Raph, she's fine. E-everything is fine." Donnie stuttered out, trying to pull away from his brother.

"Raph she is, I saw everything in the blood work last night, nothing is wrong." Leo said, trying to reassure his hot headed brother, as Raph's angry face turned to the eldest.

"You know?!" He asked as Leo sighed, taking a step back before he became Raphael's next target.

"Yes. It's nothing… Serious?" He said as kind of a question looking at Donnie who shook his head with a sigh, trying to fix his now stretched out collar.

"Listen, I can't tell you. I need to do a little more…" Donnie started as Raphael stepped towards him quickly, Donnie moving backwards and tripping on the edge of a matt. "It's not bad Raph! Jesus… I just need more time." He said as Raphael growled, pointing a finger down at him.

"You better figure it out soon or you'll have to answer to me, ya hear me?" He said, turning towards the door and nudge Leonardo's shoulder hard on the way out.

"So… I'll cover his classes today…?" Mikey asked in a shrug as the front door to the Dojo slammed. "What's going on with Felicia? I thought she was just sick."

"She is… Kind of." Donnie said, getting to his feet.

"Just, get this set up for the next class little brother." He said as Mikey nodded, fixing the matts back in place.

* * *

Raphael walked in an angered haze through the streets of New York. His hands in his pockets and his head down, muttering to himself.

"Hey man, watch it." The passing shout of a guy said as Raph nudged and bumped shoulders of people walking in his path to the bike shop.

"Unbelievable." He grumbled, turning down an alleyway to take a short cut.

"My son…" He heard softly behind him as he stopped in his tracks turning around and seeing nothing but abandoned trash and the rustling of a mangy cat.

"I'm losin' it." He sighed, turning back towards the shop and nearly falling backwards as his father stood before him, holding his paw's to his son's human chest.

"You are losing a lot of things Raphael." Splinter said as his snot twitched in a smile. "Why the hostility towards Donatello?"

"Sensei… I…" Raphael stammered trying to put his mind around seeing his dead father for the second time. "He is hidin' somethin' from me. Somethin' is going on with Felicia and he won't explain himself."

"Do you think if this something was bad he would want to keep it to himself? Is that something you know of Donatello to do?"

"Well… No but…"

"I know you love miss Felicia very much my son and I am happy you all found love in your life but, this is something Donatello needs to discuss with miss Felicia, alone. When the time is right."

"Why can't he discuss this with me?"

"Because you are not the one going through the changes my son."

"What changes? Do you know what's going on with her? What's wrong with her?" He asked his father almost frantic as Splinter reached up, placing a faded paw over Raphael's shoulder. He could feel the pressure and familiar heat of his father's touch immediately suppressing his temper.

"Felicia is going to be perfectly fine. You need to let Donatello handle these situations. He is doing the work behind it and nothing good will come from your temper and questionable attitude towards your brother or miss Felicia."

Raphael sighed, letting his head fall and eyes close to his father's words. He was overreacting. He was evening becoming suspicious of Felicia, but why? It's not her fault she's sick. He was worried, more worried than he's ever been in his life but, that's only because he loves Felicia and if something was wrong he wanted to know. He needed to know.

"Father I…" Raphael lifted his head and saw nothing but the empty alleyway before him. He looked behind him, putting his hand on his shoulder where the lingering feeling of his father's paw remained.

Making his way to the bike shop, his head fuzzy with confusion he bumped into Lucy shoulder. She dropped the wrench the was holding, looking up at Raphael as he passed her making a b-line towards his bike.

"Whoa, big guy where's the fire?" She asked, walking over to him as he sat hard on his work bench, kicking at his tool box to open it.

"Family shit… My brother is lyin' to me 'bout somethin' and it's startin' get to me. I needed to get my mind offa it." He sighed, looking over his work on his engine.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked as he shrugged.

"Nah… I just have some thinkin' to do." He said looking up at her as she nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, you wanna talk, I'm here." She said with a sweet smile, giving his shoulder a squeeze before going back to her own bike.

Raphael sighed, looking at his human reflection in the chrome of his engine. Shaking his head he threw his wrench back into his tool box, rubbing his face hard. If he wanted to know about Felicia and what was wrong he needed to have a cool level head. Seems easy enough for anyone else.

* * *

"So, you've been feeling sick lately? Why is he freaking out?" Willow asked as she put away Felicia's clothing that she washed for her since her best friend was still feeling under the weather.

"I don't know… I mean, at first it was kinda cute but, now with the crypticness from Donnie and not giving Raph straight answers, he's been getting more and more pissed. Which is making me more pissed, I mean what the hell does he have to be mad about? I'm the one that's sick." She sighed, laying back in bed as she threw one of Raph's t-shirts that she half folded.

"He's always been like that, gets mad if the wind blows the wrong way." Willow shrugged as she grabbed the t-shirt and refolded it.

"Yeah, but he's very…"

"Overprotective? Abrasive? Raphael?" Willow chuckled as Felicia rolled her eyes, getting from the bed. She felt as though she was being waited on hand and foot by everyone. Raphael would rush in and out of their room and the apartment like a mad man trying to get anything and everything she wanted. She would explain she didn't need or even want these things but, he'd be gone before she could even say it.

However, not Donnie. Donatello would barely look her in the eye whenever she ran into him in the kitchen or if he asked for another blood sample. She tried to talk to him and he would laugh half-heartedly and when she asked what was wrong or if she was going to be okay he would say there wasn't a problem and scamper off. She was actually starting to get a little pissed as well.

"I just don't get why he won't tell me what's going on?" She sighed, going into the kitchen and Willow followed her. Felicia went into the fridge taking out a jar of jelly and some string cheese.

"What the hell is that?" Willow chuckled as Felicia shrugged, sitting at the kitchen table, and dipping a cheese stick inside the sweet, sticky jam.

"It tastes good, try some." She said as Willow arched an eyebrow shaking her head.

"No, thank you…" She said, taking a seat. "Have you um… I was joking about this with Leo but… Did you ever think maybe… You're preggers?" Felicia rolled her eyes after laughing, taking a bite of her jelly covered cheese.

"No. Are you crazy? How could I get pregnant? You're not. You and Leo have been doing it way longer than we have." She shrugged as Willow rolled her eyes.

"First, that has nothing to do with anything. Second, you and Raph had sex and he was human, that might have made a big difference."

"In what? Semen is semen." She shrugged as Willow shook her head.

"OK, gross. That's my brother. But, why else would Donnie be all shifty?"

"Maybe I have cancer or something." She shrugged as Willow sighed.

"That's not even funny. If it was something that serious he would have told you to go to the doctors."

"That's true… Why would he make me suffer?" She said shaking her head. "So, then what? I'm pregnant and he's too scared to tell me?"

"Probably because of Raph. If you are pregnant, how do you think Raphael would act?"

"Happy? We talked about it before, I mean knowing that we obviously couldn't have kids being what… Anyways… We talked about it and he said he would like it. To be a dad. I think he could be a great dad."

"You guys talked about having kids?"

"Sure…" She shrugged as Willow smiled.

"What about you? What do you think?"

"I don't think anything because I'm not pregnant. There is no way I am, I can't be." She shrugged as Willow eyed her for a moment.

"Buy a test then." She shrugged as Felicia puffed out air in a laugh.

"Yeah, OK. No, I am not going to buy a pregnancy test for no reason. That's a waste of money."

"Then I'll buy you the test." Willow shrugged, grabbing her purse from the back of her chair.

"No one is getting a test. I don't need it." Felicia said with a sigh. "Think logically about this for a second, Leonardo and you have had sex many times as him as a human and nothing has come of it. The second Raph and I do it I get preggers? How could we conceive a child? Our DNA isn't the same, it wouldn't be compatible with my body. This is why when chicks have sex with horses they don't have horse babies." She said rolling her eyes as Willow smirked a little.

"Yeah, but those horses don't get to turn into humans whenever they feel like it. Also, they have more mutant DNA in them than turtle. It would be a huge reason why Donnie is being all worried. He may not know what will happen to your body throughout the pregnancy…" Willow said softly as Felicia put her head on the table.

"You're being ridiculous. I am not pregnant."

"I'm asking Donnie. If he stammers and trips all over his words you're preggers. If he laughs it off like I'm an idiot and rubs it in my face with some smart words and genius logic that he loves to do, then I'm wrong."

"Fine, call him." Felicia said waving her arm open. "I know he is going to think you're an idiot." Willow glared at her long time friend, taking out her cell phone from her purse and dialing Donatello's familiar number.

"Hey D, what's up?" She said as he answered on the other line.

"Not much, just going over this months bills with April." He said, leaning against April's desk in the Dojo office, papers scattered all over the top of it that April tried to keep organized. She glared up at him as he picked up a paper in the middle of the pile looking it over.

"Oh good, so I was just wondering what you think is wrong with Felicia? I've been getting kinda worried about her." She said, eyeing her friend who rolled her eyes.

"Oh… Well, I am not certain one hundred percent. I mean, I need to do a little more testing…"

"You've done plenty of tests Don, what's going on? Is she like pregnant or something?" Willow asked in a fake laugh, putting the phone on speaker as Donnie was silent on the other end for one beat too long.

"…No. I mean, she couldn't be right? That's impossible. Or should be anyways. I just, I need more time to…"

"Donatello… Am I pregnant or am I not?" Felicia asked as Donnie sighed on the other end.

"I don't know. Maybe? It's apparently possible, very possible according to your blood samples anyways. I just couldn't figure out a way to tell you…" He sighed as Felicia gasped and Willow looked over at her worried friend. "There's really only one way to know for sure. You could get a pregnancy test or go visit your primary doctor. They'll be able to tell you for sure."

"So, lets go get you a test." Willow said as Felicia sat at the kitchen table staring at the now blacken screen of Willow's cell phone. Her eyes wide and glazed over as a million thoughts ran through her mind at once. "Fee…?" Willow said, looking over at her unresponsive friend. "Felicia?" She said a little louder as she raised her head and met her friend's eyes.

"What?"

"You want to go get a test or not?"

"No, yes… No! I don't know!" She said, getting from the table and pacing the kitchen.

"I could be wrong." Donnie said calmly as he could on the other line as Felicia scoffed.

"When have you ever been wrong Donatello?" She asked as he sighed. April looked up at him from this exchange he was having on his phone in utter confusion.

"What's going on?" She asked softly as he shook his head. "Is Felicia pregnant? How could that… Is that possible?"

"I don't know…" Donnie whispered, his hand over the receiver as he went back to listening to Willow try and console her worried friend. April furrowed her brow, taking the phone from her long time friend.

"Felicia, its April. You should go get a test to make sure. If you are then we'll figure it out. Our family is used to a little weirdness, it's not anything we can't get past." She said with a smile, looking over at Donnie who tried to force a smile.

"I'll go with you and stay here until Raph gets home if you want." Willow said, rubbing her friend's shoulders as Felicia shook her head.

"I can't…"

"Willow…?" April asked on the phone as Willow picked up the phone, taking it off speaker.

"Yeah."

"You should stay with her. I'll go get a test and bring it over when I'm done here. Make her some tea, have her calm down, this has got to be a little…"

"Weird?" Willow chuckled without humor as April sighed.

"I'll be over in a few." She said hanging up the phone and handing it over to Donnie. "You're sure?" She asked as Donnie shrugged his shoulders.

"The tests are all conclusive. She's pregnant." He said as April sighed, running a hand through her bright orange head, now sprinkled with grey.

"How?" She asked after a moment of silence between them. "I mean, Willow… She's not, or never…"

"Willow had a miscarriage…" Donnie said softly as April gasped with her hands over her mouth.

"What? When?"

"Two years ago… She never told anyone, not even Leo. She was too ashamed and sad… She always wanted kids." He said saddened by the memory as April sat back down in her office chair from the shock.

"This is… How did you know?"

"She called me one night when Leo was having classes. She was bleeding everywhere and… I just knew and I took her to the doctors and they told her. She was about two months along."

"She never told Leo?"

"I told her to. I told her he'd understand…"

"Of course he would!"

"But, she was too scared and… She just wanted to forget." He sighed as April nodded.

"I'll talk to her… She can't hide something like that from her husband. It's not fair."

"Bringing it up April, will not help…"

"She needs to tell him Donnie." April said as a final word and Donnie nodded his head slowly.

"You're right." He sighed. "Let me finish up here and you can head over to our place. I'm sure they're waiting for you." Donnie said, looking down at the piles of paper work. April got from her chair and went around the desk, giving Donnie a tight embrace.

"You guys can have kids." She said softly as Donnie nodded, looking down at his friend.

"Bet you never thought that would happen huh?" He asked in a softly chuckle as April smiled up at his human face, her eyes glistening with tears. She cupped his beautiful human face, leaning up and kissing his scruff covered cheek.

"I never underestimate your brain, Donatello." She said, giving him another hug and leaving the Dojo.


	6. Lies, Cover Up and a Pee Stick

Felicia stared at the plain brown paper bag April had placed on the kitchen table, over twenty minuets ago. She couldn't figure out whether all of this was real or not. She had gone her whole relationship thinking, knowing that she would never be able to have kids. Nights before her and Raphael had become serious she began bargaining with herself that maybe she didn't want the relationship they had if it meant she could never have kids, but she needed Raphael. All the logic in the world wouldn't let her forget that fact. He was everything she ever wanted and more.

"You're tea is getting cold…" Willow said softly as she watched her friend from across the table, gaze set on the bag in front of her. Felicia looked up at her oldest friend and April as they both gave her small, meek smiles.

"I need to do this…" Felicia sighed as April shrugged.

"You should take your time…"

"It's been a half hour." She sighed as Willow rolled her eyes.

"This is big news." She said as April nodded.

"Big news I am not sure of yet." Felicia said, taking the pink box from the brown bag and examining the instructions. "You really do have to pee on it." She said tilting her head to look at the little pictures.

"Unfortunately." April chuckled as Willow smiled over at her friend knowing her and Casey had been trying for awhile.

"Raph will be home soon." Willow hedged as Felicia looked over at her microwave clock.

"Yeah…" She said, gnawing on her bottom lips as Willow took the box from her friend and read over the instructions.

"It takes about three minuets to show a result. Want me to go in with you?" She asked, nodding her head towards the bathroom as Felicia shook her head.

"I don't need you to hold my hand while I pee."

"I don't have to…" Willow shrugged as Felicia smiled a little.

"What if I am?" She asked softly as Willow shrugged.

"Then you can share the happy news with Raphael and you can start a family." April said happily as Willow looked over at her with a small smile.

"Exactly." She said, her voice catching as she cleared it hoping no one noticed. April sighed at her friend, looking over her sad disposition.

"OK…" Felicia sighed. "I guess it's now or never…" She said as April stood from her chair and walked with her and Willow to the bathroom.

"We'll be out here if you need us." She said putting her hand on Felicia's shoulder. Willow nodded, swallowing the hard lump in her throat as her friend entered the bathroom with the small box in her hand. "She'll be fine." April said softly, putting her hand on Willow's shoulder now.

"I know she will." Willow nodded.

"How are you?" She asked as Willow furrowed her brow.

"I'm OK, why?" She asked, as they sat at the table.

"Well… This doesn't stir up any… Feelings? You and Leo never tried too…"

"No." Willow answered shortly, walking over to the table, grabbing the cups of half empty tea as April watched her put her put them in the sink.

"It's no harm in trying, now that you guys know you can-"

"We don't want kids." Willow said again shortly and abruptly as April walked over to her friend, leaning her hip against the counter.

"You need to tell him Will." April said as Willow stopped cleaning her cup for a moment before going back to it.

"Tell who what?" She asked, playing dumb as April sighed putting her hand on Willow's to stop her from cleaning.

"Willow, the miscarriage. Leo needs to know." She said softly as Willow stepped back as if she was shocked by the touch.

"I don't need to tell him… I can't tell him, it would crush him." She said accusingly before taking a deep breath. "He doesn't need to know something that he's better off not knowing. It would hurt him, and he doesn't need to live through that."

"You didn't need to live through it alone."

"It's fine. It happened and I can't have kids… So, it's fine. I've moved on and I don't want to bring up something to him, something he's always wanted and just be that last nail in the coffin of his hope of ever having a child. I am not doing that to him."

"So, now that Felicia is pregnant and he knows, obviously he and Donnie talk what do you think he'll do? Not want to try with you? Not want to see if you two can? So, why put yourself throughout that, your relationship through that?"

"We're not putting ourselves through anything. People are different, some can have kids some can't. Donnie can explain that to him."

"So you're passing the buck to his brother to explain something that you should have told him two years ago?" April asked, crossing her arms over her chest, as Willow threw the cup down in the sink, breaking the handle off.

"What's the deal April? It's our business, not yours." Willow asked, turning towards her friend.

"You guys are my business especially if it's about hurting one of my brothers." April said, looking down at the broke cup and taking it from the sink. "And my best friend." She added with an arched brow going over to the trash as Willow sighed, leaning her back against the sink.

"I would never dream of hurting Leo. If you don't know that by know then obviously you don't know me very well." She said softly, looking down at her feet as April sighed leaning against the kitchen table.

"Well, with what Donnie told me I don't know if I do know you anymore." She said crossing her arms over her chest as Willow glared over at her. "I understand that you were scared, and probably still are in case if what happened happens again but, you do not have to go about this alone. Leo would understand. If anyone would understand it would be Leo."

"Guys…" Felicia said softly from the bathroom doorway as both woman turned their heads. "It's done." She sighed as they walked over to her friend. "Its in the sink… I can't…" April nodded, going into the bathroom as Willow forced a smile towards her worried friend.

"Well…" April sighed as Felicia looked over her shoulder.

Raphael walked through the front door, putting his dojo bag on the kitchen island and smiling over at the woman in his kitchen.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" He asked, walking over to Felicia and kissing the side of her head. Felicia smiled at him, looking back at April as she put the pregnancy test behind her back quickly.

"Hey babe, you're home early…" She said as he shrugged, going into the fridge for a beer.

"Only one class, two kids showed up for my last class so I just told 'em to go home."

"Huh, that's weird." April said nervously, looking over at Willow who nodded her head towards the inside of the bathroom.

"Not really…" Raph said taking a seat at the kitchen table. He eyed Willow and April cautiously as they both nodded and shook their heads at each other from across the room. He took a slow swig of his beer, looking over at his girlfriend who chewed down her thumbnail. "What's up with you guys?" He asked with a chuckle as Willow broke from her silent conversation with April.

"Nothing, why?" She said, taking a seat at the kitchen table with her back towards April. April tried to slowly back herself into the bathroom as Raphael put his beer down.

"Seriously, what's going on. Something is up. Felicia is chewing her thumb off, you're face is as white as a sheet and April, do you need to pee or what?"

"No, I was just…Um…" She said, looking back towards the bathroom. Raphael stood up, noticing something behind his best friend's back.

What's that?" Raph asked walking over to April as she stared to backup into the bathroom.

"What's what?" She said with a shrug as putting her hands tighter behind her back, looking over at her friend's around the table.

"April, seriously?" He asked in a chuckle, putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her to see behind her back. "Is that…?"

"It's a pregnancy test, April wanted to do it here. She doesn't want Casey to know yet." Felicia blurted out as Willow and April both looked over at her with shocked, widened eyes.

"What, really? That's great Ape!" Raph said, bringing her in for a strong hug. April forced a smile, giving him a hug back glaring over his shoulder at Felicia as she grimaced, mouthing 'I'm sorry'. "So, we don't know what it is yet huh? Too early? Oh man! Casey is gonna be so happy when he finds out. This is great April, really." He said with another hug.

"Yeah but, um… Please don't tell him yet I want to do it make a night of it and… whatnot." She stammered, looking over at Willow and Felicia for help.

"Yeah, we were trying to help her plan it." Willow shrugged as Raph nodded.

"No worries, I won't ruin the surprise." He said with a wide smile. "This is so amazing April, congratulations." He said giving her another hug before walking towards the bedroom, shaking his head in amazement.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" April hissed at Felicia and Willow as they both grimaced at their friend using such a harsh, unfamiliar to her word.

"I panicked?" Felicia asked, twisting her hands nervously in front of her.

"He needs to know." Willow sighed as April moved her glare to her.

"So doesn't Leo." She said through clenched teeth as Willow shook her head, removing herself from the angry circle.

"What does Leo not know?" Felicia asked, following her friend.

"Nothing important."

"Nothing important?" April asked, trying to keep her voice down as best she could. "Are you kidding me with this? I came to help you guys." She said looking at her friends as Felicia put her head down in shame. Willow shook her head, crossing her arms to ignore the conversation.

"I'm sorry April. I will tell him and…"

"You need to tell him before he tells Casey. You know how long we've been trying? He'll be so heartbroken."

"I know, I know… I'll… Go…" Felicia sighed, looking down the hallway towards the shut door of her bedroom. "Will you stay?" She asked, looking at Willow and April as April sighed, trying to release all of the negativity she was feeling.

"Of course." She said as Willow nodded her head, her mouth still a thin line to hold back any words towards her friend she may regret.

"When I do this, you tell Leo whatever it is you need to tell him. It's only fair Willow." She said looking over at her friend as Willow clenched her eyes shut.

"Worry about you right now." She said softly as Felicia nodded, slowly pushing herself away from the kitchen island she was leaned against.

"Here we go… I guess." She said with a grimace. She took the pregnancy test from April, hitting it against her palm as she walked down what felt like the longest corridor in her life. She knocked softly on the door, rolling her eyes to herself before entering. It was her room, why did she think she needed to knock?

He was laying on the bed, his shirt from the Dojo off, and his human feet crossed at the ankles as he looked over a product magazine for the dojo. He looked over the pages at his beautiful girlfriend giving her a smile.

"Amazing thing huh?" He asked as Felicia went over to his side of the bed, sitting down at his side.

"What's that?" She asked, looking down at the pink box.

"April and being pregnant… Whacha got there?" He asked sitting up from the bed, looking down at what she was holding.

"Um… April isn't pregnant." She sighed, staring down at the box, advoiding his eyes completed. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat, her stomach down to her knees making them shake as she walked closer to him. His human form making her knees weak already but, bringing up something this big, something this life changing was even worse.

They had talked about it a couple times before but, it was always wistful and wonderful. Something they never thought they would get and now it is something they could get and apparently they now have. The pregnancy test she's carrying could be wrong but, was Donnie? He had run so many tests on her that there is no way they could do better at the hospital. What would happen in the hospital? Would Donnie have to deliver it? What is _it_ even going to be? Human, turtle...?

She stood in front of Raphael for a couple of moments before raising her worried eyes to his, confused and waiting.

"She isn't? Then who's is that." He asked, pointing towards the box as Felicia took a final deep breath, looking up at her boyfriend of many years.

"Um… Someone else's." She said with a shrug. Raphael eyed her for a moment.

"Willow's?" He asked slowly as she shook her head. "…But…" He said softly, taking the test from the box and looking over the instructions, comparing the lines. "It's not yours?" He asked as Felicia looked over at him, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Yes…" She said softly as he frowned, shaking his head. Her gut twisting in anger and embarrassment as he looked back up at her. His furrowed brow slowly turned into the largest smile.

"You're pregnant?" He asked as she shrugged, nodding her head. "That's what… Donnie had been… This whole time? That's why you were sick?" He asked as she shrugged again.

"I guess so."

"These aren't always… a'hundred percent though right?" He asked as she nodded.

"Sometimes, but with all the tests Don did… When is he really ever wrong?" She asked, as Raphael looked over the box again and back up at her.

"But, how?" He asked as she shrugged once again.

"Your guess is as good as mine." She said as he laughed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders tightly and bringing her body down on his. He kissed the top of her head as she laid against him.

"This is incredible." He sighed as she finally smiled, nodding her head against his chest. "I'm gonna be a dad?"

"I think so…" She said softly as he chuckled rolling her onto her back as his body laid on top of hers, holding his complete weight from her.

"You're not excited?" He said as she chewed on her bottom lip. He braced his hand against the mattress, pulling her bottom lip from her teeth with his thumb.

"I-I don't know what I am really." She sighed, looking up into his beautiful brown eyes with glints of amber.

"I love you." He said, leaning down and kissing her forehead as a smile finally crossed her face.

"That is one thing I do know." She said with a small chuckle. "I love you."

"That's all we need right now then." He said kissing her lips softly before rolling off of her and laying back against the mattress. "We'll figure the rest out later." He said, starting to undress. "But, if you ever lie to me again like that, using April or Willow this ain't gonna work." He said with a shrug as she nodded with a sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I was scared."

"Of what?" He asked in a laugh as she shrugged. "Of me?" He asked as she shrugged again. He sighed himself, dropping down on his knees in front of her. "Don't ya ever think that you can't tell me somethin'." He said putting her face in his hands.

"This is really hard to talk about when you're naked." She said with a small smirk. He rolled his eyes, getting to his feet and heading into the adjoined bathroom to take off his patch. He came back out in his normal self, kneeling back down before her.

"Better?" He asked as she nodded. He put his hands back on her face and she hummed into the familiar feeling of his calloused palms against her cheeks. "You can never think that ya can't tell me somethin'. You can tell me anythin', I need ya to tell me everythin'.

"I know, it's just… This is big, huge. Ya know? I mean… Raphael… I'm friggin' pregnant." She said chuckling as it turned into a full on laugh. "Holy shit… I'm pregnant. We're…" She said moving her hand between the two of them, "going to be parents! Us! Can you believe that? Really? Wrap your head around that for a second." She said, getting from the bed as he furrowed his brow watching her start to pace the room.

"I have, I'm excited. Aren't you excited?" He asked in a chuckle, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know… Should I be?" She asked turning towards him before starting to pace again. "I don't know what's going to happen with my body, I don't know what we're going to do. Are we even going to be good parents? I don't even really like babies! I mean, they're smelly, and always sticky. Have you ever touched a baby? Why are they always sticky?" She asked as Raphael smiled, getting from the bed and putting his arms on her shoulders to have her stand still.

"Babe… Relax." He said through his smile. "Take a breath." He felt her shoulders raise and fall as the sweet scent of her breath washed over his face. He leaned in, kissing her lips softly. "Everythin' is gonna happen the way it happens. If we fuck up, we fuck up." He shrugged. "It's not gonna be perfect… I mean…" He started to chuckle, opening his arms to show his body. She smiled, starting to chuckle herself. "This is weird, and somethin' we're not prepared for, but ya know what I've spent my whole life dealin' with uncertain shit and I've done pretty damn good. I have you." He said as she smiled, leaning up and kissing him, pulling his body to her.

"I have you…" She sighed softly, putting her head on his chest plate, kissing under his chin. "We're really gonna do this?" She asked in a nervous chuckle.

"Yes, together we're gonna do this and together we're gonna make bad decisions but, we're together with something we created. That's all that matters." He said as she smiled, turning her face into his chest plate as he kissed the top of her head.


	7. Black Couch

April walked back down the hallway from Felicia and Raphael's bedroom where she had been listening in for the past couple of minuets to make sure everything was going alright. Entering the kitchen she smiled at Willow who's eyes were gazed hard on her feet as she leaned against the kitchen island.

"They're fine. He's happy, she's kind of freaking out but I think they need to be alone." She said as Willow nodded, not moving her gaze. "Willow… I'm."

"I'm gonna head back home." She said, lifting her eyes to April's for a moment before looking away and grabbing her bag from the back of a chair.

"Don't you think we need to talk?" April asked softly, kindly as Willow clenched her eyes shut for a moment, trying to hold back her emotions that were about to burst towards the surface. She was angry at her friend, she was angry at herself, she was angry at Leo, she was angry at the baby that she could have had and maybe never will. She was just angry.

"I don't want to right now…" She said, her voice shuttering as she tried as best she could to hold everything down.

"Will, I'm sorry I was so upset but…"

"But, what April?" She hissed, trying to keep her voice down so to now disturb the couple in the other room. "I messed up OK? I know that, you don't think I know that? You don't think I went back into our room where we made that baby and looked at him and thought… I don't know what he missed? What I missed? What he doesn't even know he missed? I was angry! I was angry at him and me and this stupid world. He knows Felicia is pregnant, Donnie tells him everything especially something this big. So, he's going to question me. He's going to ask if we can, if we could, that we should try and what am I going to say? Sorry Tiger, we did and I fucked it up. Can't be a daddy because mommy's oven is broken…"

"You don't know if it's you or…"

"It's me. I went to my doctor. I lied and told her Leo and I were trying and I had a miscarriage and to see if it was possible to have another and… I have this syndrome I guess… My ovaries don't work as they should because of my ovulation cycle… I don't ovulate so I can't produce eggs…" She said, sitting down at the table as April sat beside her, putting her hands over her friends that clasped together tightly, twisting her wedding band around her finger in nervous habit. "Apparently it's common and she said not to give up hope and to take some prenatal vitamins and stop taking birth control and eat healthier, cleaner and it may help… But, what's the point?"

"The point is now you know that you can have kids… Leo is going to want to try and what are you going to…"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what to tell him or if I can tell him. It's been so long…"

"He'll understand…"

"He'll be so angry with me." She said, putting her head down as tears started to run down her cheeks.

"He will but, he'll get over it. Especially when he sees how upset you are about it and listens to why you did it. He'll be understanding and supportive. When has he not been?"

"This is me lying to him. I've never really lied to him… He's never lied to me. We've built our whole relationship around trust. What if he doesn't trust me anymore?" She asked, looking up at her red headed friend as new tears overflowed from her brown glossy eyes down her already damp cheeks.

"This is one mistake in years you've been together and it is something incrediably hard and scary to talk about. Something that you didn't have to do alone and something that… Donnie is going to regret keeping from him as well…" April said, biting her bottom lip with a sigh.

"Oh God, Donnie. I didn't even think of that! He's been keeping that from Leo for… years. He's going to be so upset. Oh God…" Willow said, putting her face into her hands as April rubbed her back.

"Donnie is a big boy and makes his own decisions. This isn't the first or last time he'll keep something from Leo because he thinks it's in his brother's better interest. But, you should let Donnie tell him face to face. It may help." She sighed as Willow nodded. She wiped her face from her tears and took a napkin from the table to clean herself up.

"I need to get this over with before I go crazy…" She said as April nodded.

"If you need me I'm only a phone call away." She said, getting from the table and grabbing her bag. "I'm gonna leave these two a note too." She said nodding her head towards the bedroom and grabbing a notepad and pen from the fridge.

"I'm sorry I snapped Ape…" Willow said as she stood from her chair.

"Me too…"

"I know it came from a good place and you love them, as much as I do and you'd do anything for them." She said, new tears starting to well in her eyes as April smiled, holding her arms out for Willow to come in for a hug. "I love you." She said softly into April's hair as April kissed the side of her friend's head.

"I love you too." She said pulling back from the hug. "Remember…" She reiterated, wiping tears from under Willow's eyes. "Just a phone call away." She said with a final nod as Willow sighed. "He'll understand." She said as Willow nodded closing the apartment door behind her.

She leaned her back against it for a moment, taking in a slow steady breath. Walking down the hall to the elevator she took out her cell phone, finding Leo's number and dialing.

"Now or never, now or never…" She whispered to herself over and over again as the phone rang.

"Hello, you've reached Leonardo, if you'd like to leave a message please do so after the beep. If you have questions about the Dojo please call…" Willow sighed, ending the calling and gripping the phone tightly in her palm.

"Of course…" She said, leaning her head against the elevator wall as she first floor dinged.

"Oh, hey Will… What's wrong?" Donnie asked as he passed, going to enter the elevator grabbing her shoulders to turn towards him noticing her red eyes.

"I have to tell Leo…" She said softly as Donnie sighed, nodding his head and pulling his friend in for a tight hug.

"If you need me I'm here for you." He said as she nodded, trying to hold back new tears. "He's um… at the dojo." He said, pulling back from the hug and rubbing the back of his head.

"Thanks Don…" She said half-heartedly stepping away from his embrace and heading for the door.

She walked the streets as slowly as her feet could carry her to the Dojo, her husband's Dojo. All of her walks were always so happy and carefree when heading to this place. Now, will all the other walks remind her of what could have been? Passing the Dojo she remembered as a single woman because Leonardo couldn't handle her lying to him. She wouldn't be able to handle that, she isn't strong enough without him there. Especially now, with all of her friends involved with his brother's. She could be the outcast, and having to look at all their faces in shame and anger. Having the constant reminder of Leonardo around her, breaking her heart over and over again. She would have to move, she would want nothing to do with any reminders of him in her life.

…Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. He will be upset that's for sure but, divorce? Separation? Is Leo really capable of that over one small, mistake? It wasn't a mistake, and it wasn't small…

Taking a deep breath she pushed in the familiar glass door and heard the bell ring overhead.

"Hey there Willy, what's going on?" Mikey asked from the other side of the desk, looking up from the appointment book. He finally noticed her face covered in sadness, confusion, hatred. He furrowed his brow, walking slowly from the other side of the desk and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her and look up at him. "What's up buttercup?"

"I have to talk to Leo…" She said softly, her throat dry and scratchy as Mikey tilted his head in confusion.

"What happened?" He asked, bending down to catch her eyes. "Willow… Did you…Cheat?"

"No, something worse than that Mikey…" She sighed shaking her head as tears started to well in her eyes.

"C'mon, lets go out back." He said bringing her behind the desk into the back break room. She caught eyes with Leonardo through the large glass window of the Dojo and his smile faded quickly as he noticed his wife's face. Mikey sat Willow down on their black couch in the break room that was littered with empty boxes of merchandise, floor pads and wooden weapons leaning up against the walls. "What happened?"

"I am not going to tell another one of his brother's before him Mike. Just, please go get him for me." She said softly, looking down at nothing but her hands. Mikey leaned forward and kissed the top of her head before going back into the entrance way.

"What's going on?" Leo asked softly as he forced a fake smile to the kids leaving his class.

"You were wonderful, they've come a long way." One of the mother's said with a too wide smile and brush of his arm. He nodded, looking down at the little girl he had been teaching for the past year.

"Well, Helen is great as well. Just remember to work on your footing." He said, crossing his arms over his chest as the little girl nodded, bowing towards her sensei before leaving with her mother and other children in his class.

"Willow needs to talk to you." Mikey said, locking the door behind the last people to leave.

"I understood that Mikey, about what?"

"She won't tell me… She's upset, really upset. I haven't seen her like this since… Ya know, the wedding." He said with a shrug as Leo nodded, looking towards the backroom. "Want me to hang around?" He asked as Leo shook his head.

"No little brother go home and see Riley I'm sure we'll be right behind you…" He said with a sigh.

Willow waited, her hands twisting nervously in her lap as she listened to the sound of the water bubbler kick on and off. She could hear just the bass of his voice through the thick walls, him and Mikey talking back and forth but, unable to make out the words.

"It'll be find my child." She heard to her right as her head finally lifted. Tears slid down her cheeks and she looked over at the familiar twitching, wet nose of her father-in-law.

"Sp-sp…"

"Yes, I am here to talk to you Willow." He said, putting a warm, calming paw over her shaking hands. "I know this may seems a bit strange, however I go where I am needed and you need guidance my child." Willow felt new tears prickle her eyes as she nodded her head. "He will be upset, he will question your trust of him and your relationship but, he will not leave. He will want answers, some you may not have and others you will but he still will not leave you my dear. He is a strong man but you, you are his anchor. He needs the weight of your love in his life or he will drift."

"I need him more Splinter…" She said through tears, sniffing as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "I need him in my life and if I don't I-I don't think…"

"He is not going anywhere my child." Splinter said, putting his two paws on the side of her face. She closed her eyes to the feeling of his rough pads on her warm cheeks, taking in the distant smell of sandalwood and jasmine. "Tell him everything and after this, always go to him first. He is your rock, your husband, from this moment on you will always tell him the truth." He said, his brown beady eyes filled with intense loyalty and honor. Willow felt a shutter go down her spine and he was gone. She put her hands back onto her cheeks were his paws once were and felt a new batch of tears rise in her eyes.

She could feel him over her shoulder, leaning against the entrance of the break room doorway.

"Mikey said you needed to talk to me." He said, his voice rough and low as she felt another shiver crawl through her body. She slowly turned on the couch to face him and away from the space that held the warmth and guidance of her father-in-law.

"I do…" She said softly, clearing her throat of the shuttering it was doing. She needed to talk to him without sounding like a whimpering little baby. She needed to tell him everything and start from the beginning, but once she started crying it was hard to stop. She clenched her eyes shut as new warm tears slid down her cheeks. "Leo I…"

"If you cheated just tell me now and wait here so I can get my things from our place." He said with a shrug, his demeanor against the doorway unwavering with false nonchalance.

"Ch-cheated?" She asked back softly, again with new tears. "Y-You honestly think I-I could…" She felt her heart break a little that he could think her possible of ruining the sanctity of their marriage, of their relationship. She wiped the tears away, back into her hair and she lifted her face to his. "You honestly think I could do that?" She asked as he shrugged.

"I thought about it." He said. "Lots of woman come in here and they're all very friendly." He said with a little smirk as she felt her stomach twist in sickness and anger.

"Y-You've thought about… With the mother's of… I'm gonna be sick…" She said, getting up from the couch and running towards the bathroom. She felt the contents of her last meal burn in her throat as more tears streamed down her cheeks. She could remember one other time in her life that she had gotten herself this upset that she literally was sick to her stomach. It was the only other time the word "cheated" brought itself into her relationship.

A warm hand on her back made her raise her heavy head as she looked over at the familiar red robe and brown fur beside her, rubbing soothing circles onto her back.

"You need to tell him before you both fall deeper into this argument. He is saying it to hurt you before you hurt him. He is too much like Raphael with his heart and will never admit it. None of it is true my child." He whispered as she nodded, putting her hot face against the cold porcelain before getting to her shaky feet. She washed cold water over her face before going back into the break room where he still stood, leaning against that fucking door way. She felt hurt and angry boil within her and a squeeze to her hand. "Do not get lost in this my dear." She heard in her ear as she clenched her eyes tightly taking a deep breath.

"I had a miscarriage." She said finally, feeling the weight she'd been carrying for years fall away. She opened her eyes to his, furrowed in confusion and pushing himself away from the wall. He walked over to her, slowly as she put her arms around herself. She didn't think she could stand to have him touch her, not after what he brought up.

"Miss-miscarriage… When?"

"Two years ago…" She said softly, looking up into his eyes as they soften for a moment before crinkling in confusion.

"Two years? You didn't tell me that for two years?" He asked as she shrugged.

"I-I was scared and… I don't know I didn't want you to have to go through that. Not…"

"But, you could go through it… Alone? You could do that without me to… Willow, I am your husband if you can't tell me things like that then what are we doing?"

"Are you my husband? Or are you going to cheat on me with all those friendly mothers?" She asked, glaring back at him as his face turned angry as well. She felt another squeeze on her shoulder as she looked over it at nothing. She sighed, dropping her head. He was helping her stay on track and focused on what really mattered.

"You know I would never…"

"That, doesn't matter right now. I need to just…" She sighed, stepping away from him and rubbing her damp face hard, the dried tears on her cheeks irritating her skin. "I wanted to tell you, I wanted to tell you that night but, I couldn't. I wouldn't put you through that. Something you've wanted, we wanted… Leo I can't have kids." She said turning back to him. He walked over to her again and she took a step back. "You're distracting, sit on the couch." She said pointing towards the couch as he nodded, walking past her and onto the couch. He sat on the edge, rubbing his hands over his knees before looking back up at her as she paced the little room.

"Willow, I would never want _you_ to go through that and you did, alone and…"

"I wasn't alone…" She said, putting her arms back around herself.

"Who…"

"Donnie." She said in a shrug as he furrowed his brow, nodding his head slowly. "There was so much blood and I didn't know what to do… You were fixing the Dojo with Raph and…" She sighed. "He took me to the doctors the next day and I had some tests done… I-I can't have kids." She said with a shrug as Leo shook his head.

"It should have been me. I should have been the one to take you to the hospital and be with you while you heard something like that. Something that… Devastating… Willow, I am your husband! I am the one that gave my life to you and you go do something like that with Donnie? He knows more about that yes, but… you are _my_ wife! Not his!"

"Leo, I know and I felt wrong, it felt wrong the whole time I wanted it to be you with me but, I couldn't… Knowing what it was and what was going to happen with the news, I knew something was wrong with me I never thought children would be an option and for you to hear it like that, for something that you've always wanted I…"

"Two years ago, I would have never know that to be possible. Two years ago, I thought we couldn't have kids anyways! I would have been able to hear that news with you being just as hurt as you were by it. We could have done it _together_ as we are suppose to in a marriage. What is going to happen now when there is more devastating news? Are you going to hide that from me as well? Are you going to tell Donnie? What about Mikey I'm sure he would be a great companion in those situations!"

"I am going to tell you! No matter what happens now, I am going to be straight forward and honest with you about things like that. I am always honest with you Leo, we built our whole relationship on honestly and for me to do something like that…"

"It was wrong."

"I was wrong, and dishonest and I should have went to you first…"

"For two years Will?" He ask softly as she nodded her head, new years settling in her eyes. He sighed, standing up from the couch and walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She buried her face into his human chest, taking in his familiar smell.

"I'm so sorry Leo…" She said softly as he nodded, putting his face into her hair.

"Never again Willow." He said as she final word as she nodded her head. "We won't last if you lie to me again."

"I would never lie to you again Leo. I can't." She said shaking her head as he sighed, pulling her back from him to look down at her face.

"Lets go home to talk about this, what the doctor said exactly." He said, as he nodded. He grabbed her hand, holding it as they walked out of the dojo, the city skyline now lit with nightlife noise and colors. He locked up the dojo turning towards his wife, she always looked beautiful with the lights of street signs and businesses bouncing across her cream like complexation. Even now with the blotchy red from tears and furrowed brow from worry, she was still beautiful.

She looked over her shoulder at him, turning her body to him and watching as he watched her.

"What?" She asked, cracking the first real smile all day. He followed, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"I love you." He said softly to her ear as she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand. "More than you know."

"I love you Tiger, more than I thought possible." She whispered back as he brought their joined hands up to his mouth, kissing the top of hers.

"No more lies." He said as she nodded.

"Never."


	8. Reupholster Ultrasound

"You've been awfully quiet today." Donnie said from across the stock room in the dojo with a knowing smirk over his human face. Raphael rolled his eyes looking over his shoulder at the nerdy brother.

"I know you know Einstein, so just get it over with." He said as Donnie laughed clapping his hands together, rushing over to the bigger brother wrapping his arms around Raphael's large human shoulders.

"I'm so happy for you guys." He said as Raphael patted his brother's back.

"Yeah, yeah. You get it outta your system now or what?" He asked pushing his brother back as Donnie chuckled.

"I guess, but wait till Mikey hears."

"Mikey hears what?" Leo asked, coming in from the front room with an armful of new merchandise.

"Well, it's kinda something I wanna talk about tonight, when we're all together later at your place." Raph said, snatching the back of his shaved head nervously.

"Oh, sure." Leo smiled, putting some shirts down and starting to fold them. "Is Felicia joining us for this talk?" Leo asked with a small smile as Raph rolled his eyes too.

"For a genius you have no idea how to keep your trap shut."

"I didn't know it was a secret!" Donnie chuckled as Leo smiled at the second eldest.

"We'll celebrate tonight with everyone, let's just keep it to ourselves for now so Mikey doesn't blow a gasket." Leo said in a chuckle.

* * *

"Ugh, it's so wonderful to get out of the house for an evening." Izzy said, taking off her athletic shoes and laying back against Willow's large sofa in her scrubs from work. "I don't have a baby crying, or throw up in my hair." She sighed, grabbing the glass of wine that Willow had poured for her. "And Avery is teething so I can't breastfeed him, but he won't take to the bottle so I have to breastfeed and my nipple becomes a chew toy…" She sighed with a grimace, rubbing her chest.

"But, motherhood suits you so well." Willow said with a smile as Izzy snorted, taking a sip of her wine.

"I haven't been able to go shopping in Manhattan for months. I go to discount world, dollar something, I refuse to step into a Walmart! Thank God for target or else this baby would be in camo and discount diapers." She said taking a large gulp of wine.

"I friggin love Target." Riley added with a chuckle.

"Enough about me and my fabulous life, how have you ladies been? The dojo is running smoothly, I see." She said with a smile and another sip of wine. Willow and Felicia both nodded with smiles.

"It's going amazingly. April has been doing so much to help with the finances and product." Felicia said looking over at Willow who smiled knowingly.

"Donnie's just revamped the website too, look." Betty added happily, showing everyone the page on her cell phone. Izzy nodded in approval as the phone passed over her.

"And you and Donnie are…" She asked as Betty rolled her eyes.

"We're good." She said with a shrug as her sister and other best friends eyed her suspiciously. "He's been all off lately. I texted him and he'll start to text, showing the little bubbles with the dots and then it'll go away. Ten minuets later it's there again and then goes away. I text him again being like dude, what's up and he texts that he's busy and sorry and he'll see me tonight but, by the time it's tonight I'm already exhausted and passed out from class and studying." She sighed. "I know he's new at this but, it's kinda like, what the fuck? Ya know. He's been at the lair a lot lately too and I asked him what's up with that and he says he can't tell me, he's working on something for Raph and it's all fuckin hush, hush. Do you know what's going on?" Betty asked, taking a swig of her beer as Felicia's face brightened in blush and her eyes everted to the ground.

"Um, well…"

"Good evening ladies!" Mikey announced as he came into the front door of the apartment. Riley smiled, getting from her seat and greeting him with a kiss on his beautiful human face.

"Move it." Raph sighed, pushing the couple out of the way as he, Donnie and Leo entered next.

"Good evening gents." Izzy said with a smile as she raised her once again empty wine glass towards the guys.

"Started without us I see." Donnie joked as Izzy nodded. "Hey babe." He said, going over to Betty's chair and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi." She said softly, trying to shake off the frustration she was just pouring out emotionally. Donnie felt the tension in her body as they kissed and the tone of her voice was off. He backed away from her just enough to see her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Wanna talk?" He asked as she nodded her head.

"Later." She said, getting up from the chair and nodding her head so his lanky frame sat. She climbed on his lap, finishing her beer.

"So, what's this big news we all have to gather for?" Mikey asked taking a seat on the couch next to Izzy and Riley.

"Well, that's kinda our thing, I guess…" Felicia sighed, looking up at Raph as he stood behind the chair she sat in. "You wanna say it or?" She asked softly as he shrugged.

"It's going to be kind of a surprise…" Raph started as Felicia nodded.

"It was a surprise to us anyways…" She sighed, putting her hand over her belly as Izzy gasped, standing up quickly from the couch. Mikey looked over at her confused and then towards Riley who smiled around the mouth of her beer bottle.

"I don't get it, what's a surprise?" He asked as Felicia smiled, looking up at Raph.

"How? Is that even… How did you…" Izzy stammered as Felicia and Raph both laughed. " I'm sorry but, you're pregnant?" She asked as Felicia chuckled, kissing Raphael's hand that landed on her shoulder.

"Yup." Raph said, his face wide in a smile and practically gleaming.

"Whoa… Really? That's awesome!" Mikey said, getting from the couch and shaking his brother's hand with a slap on the back. "Guys, isn't that amazing?" He asked, looking over at the other brother's who nodded with smiles. "Why am I the only one excited about this?" He asked with a furrowed brow as Izzy shook her head.

"I… Just… Donnie how is this even? I mean… with what you are and…" Izzy stammered, sitting back slowly on the couch. "I'm sorry, I love you I'm so happy but, like… what the fuck?" She asked as Felicia laughed again.

"I'm not exactly sure of it myself." Donnie said, sitting up from his position with Betty.

"Is this why you've been buried in the lab day in and day out?" She asked as he nodded, kissing her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't say anything until Raph knew and…"

"Wait… you didn't tell him right away?" Izzy asked.

"He didn't even tell me right away." Felicia chuckled. "He was making sure before he got our hopes up, or something…"

"OK, so what have you found out?" Izzy asked as Donnie sighed with a shrug.

"Not much, there isn't a whole lot of information about interspecies birth." He said. "As far as I can tell, when Raph changed into a human and they… Conceived… She was able to become pregnant. The DNA in Raph's… Was just human enough to impregnate Fee." He shrugged. "She's been normal so far, growth rate is normal, blood pressure is good… I've studied blood samples to make sure that everything is going good for her and the baby, so far it is. I do however need you to come down to the lab sometime this week so, I can check in on everything." He said as Izzy smiled looking over at Felicia.

"This is amazing." She sighed as Felicia nodded. "But, if they were able to get pregnant, why haven't these two rabbits banged out some bunnies?" She asked thumbing beside her to Riley and Mikey.

"Protection for one." Riley said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm on birth control and we use spermicide if we need to. I am not taking any chances." She said as Mikey's face scrunched up.

"You don't want kids?" He asked as she looked over at him confused.

"You do?" She asked as Izzy rolled her eyes at the couple turning towards Leonardo and Willow.

"What about you two?" She asked as Willow sighed, grabbing tightly to Leonardo's hand as he found hers.

"Well, um…" Willow said softly as Leonardo rubbed her hand.

"We've used protection as well." He said as Willow looked up at him with a small, sad smile.

"Huh…" Izzy said and chuckled softly. "You would think out of all of us Felicia would be the one to make sure she didn't get preggers." She laughed as Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Well, we don't need to get into details…" Donnie said with a grimace as Izzy chuckled, sitting back against the couch with a sip of wine.

"So, if you want a name of a good gyno I can give you mine, he's…"

"He? No." Raph said as Felicia looked over at him with a smile.

"There are many male gynecologists. I had one before I changed health insurance from school." She shrugged as Raph furrowed his brow down at her.

"Besides, what do you think Donnie's gonna be lookin' at to check on the baby?" Izzy chuckled as Donnie's face turned bright red.

"No, no, no…" He stammered. "I have an ultrasound machine… Not…That." He said as Felicia put her hands in her face.

"Can we stop talking about my vagina now?" She asked as Willow chuckled, going around to everyone and refilling their wine glasses, including her own. Leonardo eyed her for a moment as she took a long pull from her glass.

"Well, I'm happy for you both." Izzy said with a nod as everyone joined in, Riley starting to clap her hands.

"Thanks everyone." Felicia said with a smile as Raphael kissed her cheek.

* * *

Raphael and Felicia walked down the familiar cement steps down to the living area and open kitchen of the lair. It was quiet, eerily so as the two made their way towards Donnie's lab.

"Welcome!" Donnie said with a smile on his face as he welcomed the two into the lab, newly redone with a large medical chair in the middle, ultrasound screens and machine set up next to it.

"Where'd you get all this stuff?" Felicia asked with a chuckle as Raphael helped her onto the large chair that reclined back.

"Well, Izzy actually helped me get it out of the hospital Zach works at…" He said with a little grimace.

"So, you stole it?" She asked as he shook his head.

"No, no, no! They were going to throw it out, so I just reupholstered it and it's brand new again." He said with a smile as Felicia nodded her head in approval.

"Well, this shouldn't be necessary for too long, I'll wanna see a real doctor eventually… No offence."

"None, taken but… Um… I just ya know want to make sure it's…"

"Human?" She asked, with a deadpan look as he looked over at her from the machine he was starting up with a grimace.

"Well, yes that." He said as Raphael shook his head.

"It'll be human, you said when we did it and I was human my DNA or whatever was human too so how could the kid not be human?"

"It's just percussion." Felicia said, rubbing Raphael's hand that was over her belly.

"Stupid if you ask me. We need to get you to see a real doctor." He said as Donnie cleared his throat. "I love you bro but, this is my woman we're talkin' about and my baby so, I need the best for them both."

"I totally agree, I just… Ya know, need to…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know, check away." Raph said taking his hands from her stomach. Felicia lifted her shirt up a little to shower her belly as Donnie squeezed out the gel to help the ultrasound. "What's that for?"

"It helps move around my skin easier for the ultrasound device Donnie's holding, to hear the heartbeat."

"So, if we're just hearing a heartbeat, how are we gonna know for sure it's human?"

"Well, elevated heart rate may indicate it's a mutant… As well as any uncharacteristic images that appear on the screen, here…" He said turning on the monitor next to Felicia's head as she looked over at the screen.

"So, whatever is in there is going to show up on there?" Raph asked as Felicia nodded, grabbing his hands. "…Huh, that's kinda awesome." He said with a smile as Felicia gave one back, squeezing his hands. "So, if uncharacteristic images show up, what does that mean is gonna happen?" Raph asked as Donnie shrugged, rolling the device around on Felicia's stomach.

"Well, a number of things really. First, I would have to make sure it and Felicia are both healthy with some blood and urine tests. Second, I would try and see if I could find lore or any creditable information link with interspecies birth and third… Well, we would just cross that bridge when we get to it." He said as Raph sighed, looking down at Felicia, her beautiful face and kind eyes looking back into his, giving him the reassurance that everything will be fine without actually saying the words.

Felicia looked away, back up at the screen. Her heart thumping hard in her chest she was sure that the ultrasound would pick that up before the babies. The babies… Still saying it out loud gave her a weird feeling of happiness and terror. She didn't know what to expect, how could she when Donnie didn't even know? But, she did know that whatever was growing inside of her she already immediately loved, no matter what, unconditionally.

It was her and Raphael together. It was a piece of both of them that they created, how could she not fall in love with it. She watched Raph sleeping the past nights since knowing, finding it hard to sleep with all her thoughts running a mile a minuet. The moon shinning through the window against his emerald skin and she would sigh in happiness, her hand against her stomach knowing that even if it came out looking like it's father she wouldn't be able to love it any less.

She often had dreams now of them living back in the lair, since it would be hard having a regular apartment in New York City with a little baby turtle mutant running around. Donatello would home school him and Raphael would train him, just as his father did. Leonardo would show him how to meditate and calm his mind and Michelangelo would do just the opposite. He wouldn't feel like an outsider because his father's and uncles looked just as he did. He wouldn't feel like a freak because he would be loved and have a happy home.

Felicia felt tears sting in her eyes as she remember her dreams and all the happy memories to come, regardless of what was to show up on the screen. Raph's smile slowly faded from his face as he saw the tear roll down his beautiful woman's cheek.

"Babe…"

"No, no… It's good tears. Happy." She said, smiling at him as he nodded a little confused resonating on his face. "It's the hormones." She giggled, shaking her head as she wiped away the tears from her face. "I will be doing a lot of this so, be prepared." She said in a chuckle as Raph leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"There we go…" Donnie sighed, finally relieving the breath he had been holding as he struggled to find the tiny heartbeat residing in Felicia's stomach. The room then filled with the wonderful whooshing noise of the babies heart beat as Felicia watched Raphael's eyes grow in size and a smile spread across his handsome green face.

"Oh man… That's awesome." He said, giving Felicia's hand a squeeze as she squeezed back.

"I know right!" She exclaimed back as they both laughed, watching the screen to show the little bundle of joy. "Where is he Donnie?" She asked as Donnie moved the ultrasound around in the same spot, pressing it a little harder into Felicia's stomach.

"Well, I believe it's this little area right here." He said pointing to the screen. "You're not that far along yet so, it's kinda hard to tell what I'm looking at." He said, looking closer to the screen as he circled around the same area on her stomach.

"But, he's healthy. His heartbeat sounds healthy?" Raph asked as Donnie smiled at his brother.

"It sounds strong and healthy bro." He said as Raph smiled, clapping a hand over his brother's shoulder.

"That's amazing."

"Oh…Is that the heartbeat?" They heard from behind them at the lab entrance as Willow came in with her hands to her mouth. She walked over to her best friend grabbing her free hand and squeezing it. "You're having a baby dude." She said as Felicia chuckled.

"I know kid." She said as Willow starting laughing, tears coming up in her eyes. "Don't you start that! I already started and I don't want to scare them." She said looking to Raph and Donnie. Willow waved them off, wiping her face.

"They've dealt with us for too long, this is nothing new." She chuckled as Felicia smiled, wiping new tears from her cheeks. Raph smiled, grabbing a box of tissues and handing them to Willow. "Shut up." She said with a fake scowl as Raph chuckled, looking back towards the screen. "So, where is she?" She asked as Felicia smirked, looking up at her best friend.

"We don't really know…" She chuckled. "Donnie thinks it's that little blob right that." She said pointing towards the screen.

"That's the cutest blob I've ever seen." Willow said, tears coming into her eyes again as Felicia rolled hers with tears as well.

"It is a cute little blob." Raph said as Felicia tossed her hands up, tears streaming down her face now.

"So, what now they go to a doctor, doctor?" Willow asked, handing a tissues to Felicia as Donnie nodded.

"I don't see why not. They'll be able to tell you how far along you are and what you should take for supplements. I know from your blood that they're a little iron deficient, but I think that's normal with new mothers?" He said with a shrug. "But, they'll know for sure." He said as Felicia smiled, grasping Raphael's hand tightly.

"I can't believe this. I guess now you and Leo will get off those prevention methods and have one too! Oh! What if they grew up and fell in love? Awe…."

"They're cousins…" Willow chuckled as Felicia furrowed her brow and then rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, we ended up with brother's." She chuckled as Willow forced one back, watching her friend look back at the blob on the screen. She caught eyes with Donnie over the table as he gave her a meek smile. She shrugged, knowing that whatever happens is for the better.

After having the fight and discussion with Leo days ago she had to believe everything happens for a reason. She thought it was because he was a mutant and maybe her body just couldn't produce their baby making her have a miscarriage. Completely ignoring what the doctor had told her about her ovaries and being damaged. But now, with truth staring her right in the face with her best friend and that beautiful, haunting heartbeat she couldn't ignore the fact that she may never get this, Leo may never feel the happiness that Raphael is feeling at this moment, hearing his child's heartbeat. Tears came in her eyes once more, for a completely different reason now as Felicia looked back up at her, her smile slowly fading.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just so happy for you guys." She said with a smile, giving her best friend's hand a squeeze.


	9. 40 Weeks

Felicia rose slowly out of bed, the cold wind blowing in through the opened window as moon beams illuminated the room. Looking questioningly at the opened window, she then turned to her left to see the empty space beside her. Getting to her feet she closed the window, the white noise of the city silencing with it. With a small breath she went into the bathroom looking into the mirror at her stomach. The bump was larger than she would have expected as she placed a shaky hand over it. The room hummed in silence as the mirror darkened closing in on her reflection of confusion. She turned to look over her shoulder as a large shadow appeared in the doorway.

"Raph…" Her voice was muffled and quiet, like being carried through water as the large shadow reached down to her stomach and placed a hand flat on it. The touch was familiar and warm as she looked down at his three fingered green hand. The touched turned hot as the fingers changed and became human, familiar still but smaller with nail polish and rings she was so used to seeing growing up.

"You're not having this child." The woman said before her as she raised her head to see her mother, reaching into her stomach. Felicia's eyes went wide in horror as she grabbed her mother's forearm, trying to push her back and away from her stomach and baby but, the hand went deeper into her abdomen. Felicia fell over in pain, clutching her now flat, empty stomach as she watched her mother raise the screaming baby. Felicia's mother looked at it with disgust and all Felicia could see was a beautiful baby boy, screaming from being torn from his mother too soon.

"Mom stop!" Felicia said, but again her words were muffled. Her voice burned from screams as she reached out with bloody hands, trying to grab hold of her baby. Felicia's mother looked down at her with a smirk, her face morphing from someone she's known for her life and loved, to someone that she knew only a short time. In that time she was beaten and tortured, left for dead in a crate. Felicia's body ranked with shivers as Karai held her baby in her arms, cooing softly down at it. Felicia noticed a shimmer metal from the moonlight seeping in from the bedroom against Karai's armor and wrist. A single sharp blade went across the babies cheek as it screamed in pain and Felicia raced to her feet to attack this nightmare before her.

Foot ninja grabbed her arms from behind her as Felicia looked around frantically, they were no longer in her apartment. She was back at that warehouse. The smell of stale sea water stung in her nose and made bile rise in her throat as she shook her arms to get free, but the harder she tried the tighter their grip became.

"Let him go!" Felicia could feel her words in her throat but couldn't hear them. Karai's smile just grew as she held the baby, green skinned with a gash down his small cheek up to Felicia, just out of reach.

"This is what you've done. This is what you'll have to live with." Karai spat at her. Foot opened the large doors to the ocean, the cold breeze falling into the dank space as Felicia's hair whipped around her face. Foot ninja dragged in a large body, as Felicia's stomach sank. The body was thrown in between Karai and herself as the Foot kicked at it, rolling him onto his shell. Felicia fell to her knees as she reached out to Raphael's lifeless body, placing bloodied hand over his.

"No…" She breathed out, as tears streamed down her face. She looked back up at Karai and her baby as Karai held him up over her head. Her fingers slowly released him, one by one as Felicia jumped to her feet to catch him…

"… And then I wake up covered in sweat and Raph is all what happened and I can't explained to him all that. He's stressed over me enough as it is with Donnie's constant checking on me and making sure 'mommy' isn't too stressed out, and 'mommy' is getting enough pre-natal vitamins. I want to throat punch them both." Felicia huffs at a close by coffee shop where Willow teaches."

"That's incredibly intense… and weird." Willow sighed, sipping her coffee. "Have you at least told him a little about the dream?"

"No… What would I say? I can't bring up Karai he'll freak. He won't understand the mom thing… I mean, why my mom?" She sighed, smacking down the lemon in her decaf iced tea with her straw. "And, the baby was green, that'll open up a can of worms for him because he's already freaking out about that…"

"OK, but he understands that you are allowed to freak out too right?"

"I don't know…"

"Exactly because you don't tell him. You need to tell him what you're thinking. It's hard, obviously but… OK, think of it this way, before has Raphael dated anyone long term or serious besides you?"

"Well Mere…"

"No! Long term, serious relationship."

"Then no."

"OK, so you are his first. Has he had a kid with anyone else, or even fathomed that a kid was possible in his life?"

"Well… Obviously no Willow, what's your point?"

"My point is that it's Raphael and all of this is just as new to him as it is to you. You cannot walk around with all of this inside of you and just except him to know, or understand what you're going through. I made that mistake with Leo and… It's biting me in the ass and I hate myself for it now. Let everything out there with you guys, it's the only thing you can do if you want to be together and last…" Willow sighed as Felicia nodded, completely understanding her best friend's words.

Raphael was anything but a mind reader, especially when it came to being emotional. She was new to this and scared, nervous that she'd mess it up or say something stupid. But, she needed to remember this was new to him too. Even more so because he's never thought this would be possible, making a life with someone he loved. Felicia knew in her head even at a young age she could and would get married start a family but, not Raph. Raph thought his life was built to protect this City, live underground and never been seen. He never thought that this, a baby and a love life would ever be possible.

"You're right… So, I should just tell him?" She asked, scared and shy as Willow reached over the table with a smile grabbing her friends hand.

"Yes. Tell him and let him know he's not the only one that is scared about this, all of this and whatever happens you two will work it out. Also, you have a whole support system behind you both." She said as Felicia sighed happily.

"What about the mom thing?" She asked with a cringe. Willow chuckled shaking her head.

"She has to find out soon rather than later. You can't waddle up to her house with Raph one day."

"Ugh… I know. Dad is going to freak. A baby out of wedlock is just not Christian." She said with a roll of her eyes as she used her father's words she'd heard him use time and time again.

"Well it's a different day and age and you're not even Christian anymore, or at least practice it. And Raph is… Nothing? Does he even believe in God or…?

"I don't know we've never talked about it. Maybe, Buddhist?" She asked as Willow laughed.

"Oh yeah, he's real Zen." She said as Felicia chuckled. "But, regardless of what your dad or mom say it's still happening and you're still having a baby with the man you love, that is what is important." Willow said with a nod of finality as Felicia smiled, nodding her head in agreement.

"Even if it is a turtle baby." She said with a sigh as Willow rolled her eyes.

"We don't know that for certain. When's your appointment with for the ultrasound?"

"Today at 3…" Felicia said letting out a deep breath, her head hung low as she placed it heavily on her hand, elbow resting on the table top. "I am so happy about this and fucking hate this at the same time." She mumbled, poking down her lemon with her straw watching it bob in her half drunk tea.

"Well love, I think you just figure out what motherhood means."

* * *

Raphael bounced nervously from foot to foot in front of the Felicia's doctor's office. The wind with hints of winter blowing over him did nothing to help the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He pulled his brown Carhart jacket a little tighter around him as he looked up and down the side walk for the beautiful mother to be.

_He tried for hours to wrap his head around what was happening. He stood in the break room with the same unfolded shirt in his hands for an hours before Leo took it from him with a concerned look on his face._

_"Bro, let's go sit for a minuet." He said as Raphael blindly followed his older brother to the black couch. "You alright?" He asked, taking a cup from the water bubbler and handing it to his brother who took it with shaky hands._

_"Dude, what the fuck?" He asked in a breath as Leo smiled a little._

_"Finally hitting you, dad?" He asked as Raphael put his head in his hands, rubbing his human face hard with calloused palms._

_"Does that make even a little bit of sense to you? I mean, even this!" He said opening his arms and looking around the small break room. "We own a fuckin' business!" He said as Leo smiled, sitting next to his brother and clapping a hand over his shoulder._

_"It's weird and amazing but, do I miss what we were and what we did? Of course I do. I mean, I can barely make my way to the bathroom at night now without waking Willow. That's not exactly ninja." He sighed as Raph chuckled. _

_"Your knees probably wake her up with that grinding sound they make." He said as Leo laughed. "We're old as fuck now…" He sighed "… and I'm gonna be a dad… What if the picture comes back lookin' not so human?" Raph asked as Leo shrugged._

_"It's a chance you're gonna have to take to know Felicia is going to be safe and healthy, along with your baby. The doctor isn't going to know that you're a turtle just from a picture. If there is something wrong with the baby, which I'm not saying there will be but, if there is then Donnie will handle the rest of the pregnancy." Leo said with a smile._

_"And after the pregnancy? What then? We can't pump a baby with this shit and he won't be able to live a normal life. It took us twenty five years before we could."_

_"You can't worry about that now, you need to focus on today and the happiness you have for sharing something so wonderful with the woman you love." Leo smiled as Raph looked over at him with a small smile of his own._

_"You sound like Splinter." He sighed as Leo nodded, his smile growing._

_"Well, I try and figure what he would say to you in this situation. It's comforting." Leo shrugged as Raph nodded._

_"Thanks bro."_

Raphael smirked to himself as he stood waiting, looking back down the street as he noticed Felicia squeeze herself in between two men talking in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Excuse me." She said with a furrowed brow, hands on her hips as the men moved aside to make room. "Jesus Christ…" She sighed, making her way over the Raph, brushing the hair from her face with the fingerless gloves she wore with little foxes on them. "Fuckin sidewalk is for _everyone!_" She said loudly over her shoulder at the men that walked down the street in the opposite direction. Raphael chuckled to himself putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I like pregnant you, you're feisty." He said as they entered the building. Raphael took Felicia's scarf and jean jacket as he hung up his own.

"Yeah well pregnant me is also bitchy and hungry and needs to pee, again." She sighed, walking towards the bathroom as the woman at the reception desk smiled over at the couple.

"The name please sir." She said as Raph walked up to the desk.

"Felicia McCarty." Raph said with a smirk as the woman behind the desk hesitated for a moment before checking the name and appointment.

"Alright, your wife will need fill this out and the Doctor will see you shortly." She said handing Raphael a clipboard. Raph took it with a furrowed brow.

"She's not… Never mind." He chuckled, sitting down in one of the group of empty chairs as another woman with a pregnant belly sat across from him, eyeing him as he adjusted his hoodie he had under his jacket. Their eyes met and she quickly looked down rubbing her belly as Raph shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Felicia finally came out and a sigh of relief left his lips as she sat down heavily in the chair next to him. "Here, ya need to fill this out." He said handing her the clipboard as she sighed, taking it from him.

"Fuckin stupid, like they don't already have this bullshit information." She whispered over to him as she started filling in her name and date of birth. "Weight? Really?" She hissed to herself, filling in the last time she weighed herself.

"Mrs. McCarty." The nurse said from the doorway as she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't finish this." She said holding up the clipboard as the nurse shook her head.

"That's fine, this way." She said nodding her head inside the doors as she stood with a huff getting from her chair and handing the clipboard to the nurse. "Your husband can wait out here if you like." She said as Felicia chuckled.

"He's my boyfriend, and no, he's coming in with me." She said as the nurse nodded, with Raphael following.

"On the scale please." The nurse said stepping beside a digital scale as Felicia sighed, handing Raphael her bag and slipping off her Doc Martin boots.

"Of course…" Felicia sighed, watching as the numbers went up slightly. "Seems about right." She sighed again as Raph looked over at her.

"You're pregnant what did you think was gonna happen?" He asked as she glared at him.

"Well, no shit but it's not awesome." She shrugged as Raph put an arm around her shoulders as they followed the nurse into an examine room.

"If you could please, change into this and the doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse said after checking Felicia's vitals and blood pressure taking her laptop with her.

"I didn't like the way she was looking at you." Felicia grumbled as she started to take off her shirt. Raph chuckled a little taking a seat in an extra chair off to the side of the room. He watched as Felicia undressed, her belly sticking out a little more than usual. Not too much, just a slight bump like she had drank too much beer the night before. He chuckled again to himself as she looked over at him.

"Really? I didn't even notice." He said as Felicia rolled her eyes changing into the hospital gown. "That is a good look." He said as she glared at him, hopping onto the chair.

"Shut the fuck up, just wait until you have a prostate examine." She chuckled, putting her arms behind her head, trying to get as comfortable as she could in the paper feeling gown. Raph got up and walked over to the exam bed, running a hand up and down Felicia's arm as she took a slow breath. "You OK?" She asked, looking up at him as she felt her stomach twist and churn with nervousness.

She has no idea what the doctor was going to say but, all morning in her head, ever since she booked this appointment all she could hear or see was the doctor grimace at the screen and get out of the room quickly in horror. More doctor's would come in and take her away from Raphael and haul her to some mad scientist exam room to do test after test on her and the baby. She of course knew this was ridiculous and impossible but, the fear was real and she wanted, needed to know what Raphael was thinking about this whole situation. He was excited, she knew that but, what about the fear of it being not human…

"Of course I'm OK." He smiled down at her as she reached for his warm, loving hand that was still rubbing and smoothing her worries away. She grasped his hand in hers and looked up at him, her face serious as she could make it and his finally morphed. "You're worried." He said softly as she nodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip. He smirked at her nervous habit, putting his thumb against her lips and pulling it slowly from her teeth. "Babe, I am nervous and worried too."

"I thought I was alone in this." She said, starting to feel tears well in her eyes as he sighed, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Of course not, you're never gonna be alone in anythin' concernin' us, or our baby." He said, putting his free hand down on her stomach. "This is gonna be us, and perfect and beautiful no matter what… Form is takes. It's you and me and, we made it… That is somethin' that no matter how hard we try we wouldn't be able to mess up." He said with a breath of a laugh. She put both hands on the side of his human face, leaning up and kissing him, taking him in and his words of reassurances that, this baby no matter what was theirs and it was going to be beautiful.

"I love you so much." She said, tears running down her cheeks as he smiled, wiping them away.

"I love you too babe." He said softly as the door opened to the doctor stepping in as she knocked.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Perkins." A middle aged woman with a white lab coat said as walked over to the counter, placing a laptop down, turning towards the couple. She was dark haired and petite with a kind smile. "This must be Felicia." She said extending her hand to the young woman lying in on the exam table as Felicia shook it. "And, father or friend?" She asked giving her hand to Raph who shook it.

"Father." He said with a smile as Doctor Perkins nodded.

"So, we wanna see how far along this little one is?" She asked as Felicia nodded. "When was your last period?"

"About two months ago… I'm very regular." She said as Perkins nodded, writing in her notes.

"Good, and you took a pregnancy test?" Doctor asked as Felicia nodded again. "How long ago was that?"

"About a month ago…?" Felicia asked, looking over at Raphael for confirmation who nodded. "Yeah, about a month."

"Was that the only one?" She asked as Felicia nodded.

"Should I have done more?"

"No, no… just wondering dear." Perkins smiled as Felicia nodded. "Now, I'm going to do a quick exam see if I can see how far along we are before we look on the screen, would you like daddy in or out?" She asked as Felicia smirked.

"Well, he's already been _in _so, go for it." Felicia chuckled as Raphael looked at her confused.

"OK, here's sheet for privacy, put your legs in the stirrups please." The doctor said, rolling a chair over and putting on a pair of latex gloves. Felicia placed the paper sheet over her lap as she laid back, moving her backside to the edge of the table as her feet rested in the stirrups. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling as Raph tilted his head a little trying to see what the doctor was doing under the sheet as Doctor Perkins turned on a bright light that attached to the table. "You're just gonna feel a gloved hand touching and me moving your uterus." Perkins said as Felicia took a breath in through her nose and out through her mouth.

"How the hell is she touching your uterus." Raphael asked, leaning closer to Felicia's ear as she chuckled.

"Don't make me laugh." She whispered back as doctor came back up, turning off the light.

"Ok, you can relax." She said putting down Felicia's gown. "Well, from what I can tell you're about eight weeks along." Doctor Perkins said with a smile, tossing her gloves into a waist bin. "Let's hear this heart beat shall we." She said with a smile, getting from her stool. "Come over here for a second." She said to Raph, motioning for him to move out of the way of the ultrasound machine that was set in the corner of the room, next to the exam table. She pulled it out, turning the screen so Felicia could see it, before turning it on. "Dad, I want you right there with mom." She said, pointing to Felicia's other side as she grabbed the transducer. Doctor Perkins lifted up Felicia's gown, keeping the paper blanket over her knees and squirted some gel onto Felicia's stomach. "It may take a bit to find the heart beat." She said, looking down at Felicia as she kept her eyes on the screen. Doctor Perkins ran the transducer over the gel and around Felicia's abdomen for a couple moments, circling before a whooshing noise started slowly, softly and then became louder. Perkins smiled down at Felicia and over at Raphael before pressing a couple buttons on the monitor. "There's your baby." She said pointing towards white area in the middle of all black. It was small and blob like, a little bigger than what Donnie had shown them a couple weeks before but, still beautiful.

Raphael grabbed tightly onto Felicia's hand as he smiled down at her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. Felicia looked at the screen in amazement, hearing the noise that she would cherish forever.

"That's our baby." She said, tears starting in her eyes as Raphael smiled, feeling tears prickle in his.

"Yup." He said, clearing his throat as Felicia clenched his hand in hers. "Is uh…" He started, clearing his throat again "…Is there anything wrong or… Um anything…" He asked hesitantly as Perkins looked over at him from the screen.

"No, everything looks normal. The heart beat is healthy and everything sounds good." She said with a smile. "But, I want to see you both once a month to check on this little one. We'll do that for about the first twenty eight weeks and then once we get going I'll need to see you about every two weeks until your due date." She said with a smile as Felicia nodded.

"When, um… Do we know the due date?"

"Well, it's primarily forty weeks from the first day of your last period. Do you know the exact date?" Perkins asked, going over to the counter where her laptop sat.

"Um… September… third? Maybe…" She asked questioningly looking over at Raph who just shrugged.

"So, I would think being eight weeks along and we're in October, we're looking at June sometime." She said turning towards the couple with a smile after taping a few things into her laptop.

"Wow…" Raphael said with a smile, looking down at Felicia as she sat up a little from her lying position.

"Yeah… So, if there are any complications or… Um, abnormalities we'd be able to detect it with the ultrasounds?" She asked as Perkins looked at her confused for a moment.

"Do you have history of drug abuse?" She asked as Felicia's face reddened.

"No… I've never smoked, or done drugs. I drink a little but…"

"Then, you're fine. Everything should go smoothly for your two. Does your family have any history of diseases or, abnormal pregnancies?" She asked again, going back over to where Felicia sat on the exam table placing a concerning hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"No, not that I know of… My mom had three kids and they all turned out OK I guess…" She said softly as Perkins looked towards Raphael.

"You have any family history of abnormalities?" She asked as Raph, looked down at Felicia with a grimace and back towards the doctor.

"No…" He said slowly as she smiled, putting her hands over Felicia's that were being held tightly by Raphael.

"Then, there are no worries. I'll give you a list of some vitamins and things to look out for but, don't worry yourselves about anything until there is something to worry about. From what I saw this little one is healthy, and has a loving family." She said with a smile, going back to her laptop to print out a summary of the visit. "I'll be back with that list and a date for your next appointment and your first picture of baby" She said with a large smile as Felicia nodded. "Felicia sweetheart, you can get dressed." Perkins said, leaving the two alone in the room.

Felicia sat for a moment on the table looking at the screen with the image of their baby still saved there. She put her hand to the monitor, touching the little white circle as tears filled her eyes.

"What if he's not OK?" She asked softly, looking over at Raphael. He sighed, going to the other side of the bed, next to the monitor and taking Felicia's hands into his. He kissed her knuckles softly before helping her onto her feet.

"He's going to be good, he's a Hamato and regardless of anything, he'll be loved." He said placing Felicia's clothing on the exam table for her. She looked at them, picking up her bra slowly and putting it on.

"I love you." She said, looking over at him as he waiting for her to get dressed.

"I love you too." He chuckled, kissing the side of her head. "We'll be good, everythin' is gonna be great." He said as she chuckled a little, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"You suck at being optimistic." She said as he sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I believe you though, well I am gonna try and… I want to tell you something when we get back to the apartment. I've been having weird dreams lately and you said early I'm not gonna be alone in this and I don't want to be, not now, not after seeing he's OK and…" She sighed, pulling her pants up and tugging her shirt over her head.

"You're not alone in this, and I am here, for whatever. Weird dreams, weird cravings… I was built on weird." He said with a chuckle as she was able to give one back. "Babe, please anythin' and everythin' tell me, I want to know everythin' about this pregnancy. I don't want to be left out." He said softly as she looked at him confused, buttoning up her cardigan she wore under her jacket.

"Be left out?" She asked softly as he sighed.

"Just, with the girls being all over you and happy about the baby… It's our baby." He said looking at her as she nodded, grabbing his hands in hers.

"It is our baby, and our journey. I wouldn't leave you behind in this." He smiled, feeling tears start to prickle in his eyes again as he nodded his head quickly, clearing his throat.

"Good. Where the hell is she with that list?" He asked, changing the subject as Felicia chuckled, leaning up on her toes to kiss his scruffy cheek.

* * *

Author Note:

I have been working on this for awhile, here and there. I am going continuing with this story and others, so don't lose hope on me yet! Life gets in the way and adulting is hard but, I appreciate all the comments and reviews. Everyone who has read this Saga since the beginning, you're all amazing! I am so happy to be writing and creating something you enjoy!

Thank you!


	10. A is for Angst

"It's kinda awesome about Raph and Fee, right?" Mikey asked as he threw his human clothing on the chair beside the bed he and Riley made their own for the past three years.

"Yeah, it's something." She said, trying as hard as she could not to sound completely sarcastic.

"You don't think so, huh?" He asked, taking a seat on the edge of his side of the bed. She sighed, putting her platinum blonde hair with faded purple and blue streaks on top of her head in a loose bun.

"No, they're starting a family that's awesome. I've always seen Fee as a mom." She shrugged, pulling the blankets down and climbing in between the soft leopard sheets.

"It is! I mean… We've never, like Raph has never thought it was possible to have a kid and not that we've ever talked about it or anything but, I mean it's gotta be an awesome feeling." He shrugged as he laid his shell back against the mattress, hands behind his head as he looked over at Riley, chewing hard on her thumb nail as her foot shook vigorously up and down. "What?" He asked, noticing her demeanor.

"I don't want kids." She said with a wince as he smirked a little putting a hand on her knee to stop the shaking.

"I know that, well… I figured at least because of the way you've been acting since they told us. You haven't touched me in days." He said as she sighed, laying her head against his shoulder and grasping his large hand in hers.

"I'm sorry. I shut down like an idiot when I get nervous and I don't want to disappoint you with knowing that I don't want kids. I mean the kids I see everyday and how their parents treat them, and how they treat each other, I don't want to bring someone into that… It's so harsh and unforgiving. And all the suicides from cyber bullying. It scares me to think that Avery, Julia and Jace have to go through that at some point, never mind my own."

"From that perspective I can understand but, you gotta know our kid would be awesome." He said with a smile as she smiled back, kissing his handsome green face.

"Without a doubt out kid would be epic, but I guess I'm just not there yet…? I'm sorry." She said softly, kissing his shoulder as he shook his head.

"No worries my love. We have always been on different pages with our relationship, I like to skip chapters and you're a slow reader." He said with a smile as she narrowed her eyes at him, biting hard on his bicep. "Ow…"

* * *

"We're in a relationship, we're supposed to talk…" Betty sighed as she watched Donnie pace back and fourth for the third night in a row at the foot of their bed. "You could have told me about it, you know I can keep shit to myself." She said with a shrug as he sighed, shaking his head.

"It's not about that. It's my brother and family and…"

"I know you all have some weird unknown brother rule that only you guys can know what each other is thinking or feeling at any one time, but I am your girlfriend… Do I ever get to be apart of that secret club? I mean, I love you and you do trust me… right?"

"Of course I do, with my life…" He sighed, stopping in front of her and kneeling so they were eye level.

"So, why not with this? Why not just let me know that you're OK. I mean, I've been dying the past could of weeks thinking you were gonna leave or some shit and come to find out it's only because you're tweaked over Fee and a baby."

"I was only _tweaked_ because I was nervous about Felicia and her wellbeing."

"But, not about the wellbeing of your relationship with someone that you so call _love_?"

"It's not like that, you know that. This is something much bigger than a normal pregnancy Betty." He sighed, getting to his feet to start to pace again.

"Do I? Because you never tell me it is. Donnie, we're in this together and I am not a mind reader, you have to tell me what's going on in that large brain of yours or I am going to think things… Bad things. I get away from myself especially when it comes to people around me who are supposed to love me, who I am supposed to trust. My family wasn't exactly _close_ while I was growing up…" She sighed shaking her head. "I know that's a lame excuse but, it's all I've known and I wouldn't know what to do if you left…" She said softly as Donnie stopped again, sitting on the bed beside her and grasping her small hands in his large, green calloused ones.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't taking your feelings into consideration and I will never, at least not try to do that again." He sighed, kissing her knuckles as she sighed, kissing his cheek.

"You can't promise me things like that because I know as soon as something big comes up again you're going to be immersed in it and ignore me, without meaning too… But, you will and…" She sighed shaking her head. "Maybe I'm over reacting, I mean I knew what I was getting into when I started dating you, this isn't something new." She said as he looked at her, frustration covering her face.

"I hate that you think that…" He sighed, putting a hand on the small of her back and rubbing smoothing circles there.

"I know that is just how you are…" She shrugged. He shook his head and turned his body towards hers.

"Betty, I don't want you to feel this way because I love you…Ever since I saw you, I've known that I loved you and it's just hard, this is so much harder than I imaged in my head and I'm not… Easy, I'm not as easy going as you…" He said softly shaking his head trying to come up with the right words to say. This was so easy for Leonardo and Mikey with they're large romanticized hearts. They are able to create beautiful words out of almost nothing, even Raph had a knack for it but, he stumbled. He felt like whatever he said someone out there would be able to say it better, someone out there may even be able to love her better... He looked back at her, his large hazel eyes surrounded in violet saddened by his own thoughts. "I am never going anywhere, and I never want you to think I would. This is hard for me yes, but that doesn't mean I will just put your feelings aside as though they don't matter. They matter, so very much, you matter to me, so very much…" He said, looking back up into her beautiful emerald eyes as she gave him a small smile.

"That's what always got me about you though, Donnie. " She said, her small crooked smile growing over her beautiful pixie face. Taking his hands into hers she kissed his scared knuckles. "You're real. So truthful and own up to everything. It makes me want to be a better person… And I'm proud to call you my boyfriend." She said with a small chuckle, her eyes searched over his scared large hands in between her small pale ones. Strong, powerful hands that have done so much. Training, fighting, blood that coated them in wars that raged on in the city that she never knew about. Never knew because he was there to protect her without her even knowing him. Always her protector before she knew she needed one. These hands that have done things she still doesn't know about, maybe never will. The mystery in his hands alone kept her excitement for him, made her thirsty to know more about him. She was scared to ask questions, but when her eyes left those hands and looked up into his hazel, kind eyes her fear fell away. That was the Donnie she knew. The Donnie she thought could never harm a fly, and was so sweet and almost innocent. But, that was just one side to the fighter he really was. "I love you, honestly love you so much and the fact that we fight doesn't mean anything. It's healthy to fight." She shrugged as he broke into a small smile, kissing the side of her head. "But, can we just stop fighting because I don't want to spend my break off of school fighting about something that has nothing to do with us." She sighed as he nodded with a small laugh.

"I love you too, you know." He said softly, breathing in the scent of her hair. She sighed to the familiar gesture and leaned her body into his plastron.

"I know babe." She said, turning to him and climbing onto his lap and draping her arms over his strong shoulders. "Ya know, usually after a couple fights… There is a making up portion." She said with a smirk as he nodded.

"I have heard that theory before…" He said as she chuckled.

"Oh have you?" She asked, as he nodded with a hum of agreement before lifting her up over his shoulder and flipping her onto the mattress.

* * *

Leonardo sat on the edge of his and Willow's large bed untying his shoes as Willow towel dried her hair off, sitting on the other side.

They hadn't said much to each other since Leo got home from the Dojo and then again when he went for a jog around the neighborhood. Willow knew it was to clear his head, but the silence was killing her. He's been jogging almost every night after getting home from the dojo since he found out about Felicia and Raphael.

"There's left over chicken in the fridge I can heat it up for you if you want?" She asked over her shoulder as he shook his head.

"No, I'm OK babe…" He said softly as she sighed, turning towards him and putting the towel she had been using take the dampness out of her hair from her shower on the bed.

"We need to talk more about this." She said as he turned to her, laying back on their bed.

"We do…"

"You're not OK with this…" She said more as a statement then a question.

"I am OK with what's going on with you, medically and I'm now OK that you did in fact lie to me about it but, I understand the reasoning… I'm just not OK with this unsettling feeling lingering between us." He sighed as she nodded, laying next to him and twisting his ring of their marriage on his finger slowly before taking his hand into hers.

"I'm not OK with that either…" She breathed out slowly. "I love you so much, and I want to have your babies…" She said as tears started to prickle into her eyes.

"I know you do, I never suspected anything more." He said, moving closer to her. "I want you to be healthy, I think we should get another opinion." He shrugged as she nodded.

"We can do that! My health insurance is kinda crappy though…" She sighed. "So, doctor's are slim pickins." She said putting her hands flat to his and intertwining their fingers together out of habit as they laid next to each other and spoke at night.

"Well, we can always ask your mother and dad about their opinion or April, her doctor is good I guess from what she had told me about her and Casey trying getting pregnant." He said, looking over at her as she stared up at their intertwined hands. "Whatever happens, I love you." He said softly, almost that she couldn't hear it. She turned her head to him, kissing his lips softly.

"I love you." She sighed. "I am ovulating…" She said slowly as he arched a brow.

"What's that mean?" He asked as she chuckled.

"That's usually how you get pregnant, is when the woman is ovul-" He moved quickly over her, throwing his shirt to the floor as he tugged her pajama bottoms down from her hips. "Whoa there Tiger…" She chuckled as he leaned over and started kissing her, moving his lips down the side of her neck. "This isn't exactly an exact science…" She sighed out as he moved her shirt up her stomach. "W-we still may not…" She groaned as his warm human tongue traced the curve of her hip over her soft lace panties. "We may not get pregnant just because I'm o-ovulating Leo." She breathed out, her voice catching as his warm tongue followed where her hip and inner thigh meet, the tip of his nose teasingly caressing her panties.

"Practice makes perfect." He said, looking up at her as she smirked.

"That's very true." She said as he leaned up over her body kissing her lips softly.

* * *

"Hey there Daddy-O." Mikey said as he entered the back room of the Dojo to Raphael organizing the weaponry for the evenings classes. Raph smiled to the nickname giving a breath of a laugh.

"Hey numb nuts."

"So, how's Fee doing?" Mikey asked, grabbing some of the sais that Raph had already polished and set and twisting them effortlessly in his hand.

"She's doing great. Doc said everything was going good so far. We need to go back in a couple weeks." He said with a smirk as Mikey nodded, watching his brother's face. He couldn't remember a time he has seen Raph smile this much, or even have that kind of happy tone to his voice. His brother was ecstatic about this baby and he couldn't blame him.

"So uh, the ring…"

"Oh yeah…" Raph said, looking over at Mikey. "That's kinda redundant now huh?" He asked in a chuckle as Mikey shrugged.

"Nah Bro, you can still… If that's what _you_ want to do, I don't wanna push you or nothin' but, that's kinda what you do after you knock your girl up or so I've learned from movies." He said with a smirk as Raph nodded.

"I would have done it even if I didn't knock her up jackass." He said as Mikey nodded.

"You were on the fence about it for awhile…" He said as Raph sighed, putting the Katana her hand in his hands down after sharpening it.

"Yeah, well… Things changed… I've changed. I mean this Mikey, looket this shit." He chuckled pointing to his brother as Mikey nodded with a smile looking down at his human body. Something that once was so out of the norm for all four of them is not a daily occurrence and as it should be. They wouldn't be able to do what they do, own a business, help kids off the street if it wasn't for Donnie.

"We own something, us!" Mikey added as Raph nodded with a laugh.

"Right? It's insane, and now… I'm gonna be a dad… I mean before, when I was thinking and overthinking even getting with Fee it was different. Everything was so different. I thought that the wedding was just some stupid party for Will to show off to her family and we didn't need anything but the little wedding we had for 'em in the lair after all that crazy bullshit went down with Shredder Junior. But, now I understand. It's incredible and we're still us, you're still a fuckin' idiot." He chuckled as Mikey snorted a laugh, nodding his head.

"I love you too man." He chuckled as Raph slapping him hard on the back.

"I think I'm ready." He sighed as Mikey nodded.

"Good, it's ridiculously amazing to see you this happy. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy." He said as Raph nodded.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy?" He questioned with a small chuckle. "So, what about you and Rye?" Raph asked as Mikey shook his head.

"I don't know… Marriage is one thing but, she's not down with all this baby talk." He sighed as Raph furrowed his brow.

"Why not?"

"I guess from what she's been doing, and doing it for so long. She works with kids and sees the good, bad and the ugly with them as teenagers… I mean, you remember us as teenagers." He said as Raph chuckled. "So, I just think she needs some time… She may never want them but, I still love 'er. I'm not gonna leave 'er just because she doesn't want kids. We'll have nieces and nephews to spoil and love, that'll be good enough." He shrugged, his voice forcing to be grateful and happy but, Raphael could tell what his little brother wanted.

"You talk to 'er 'bout it?" He asked as Mikey nodded.

"Yeah, last night actually. She hadn't touched me in like two days so I knew something was up. I mean, not even a peck on the cheek. I was startin' to think like this was it. She's done with it all… But, she was just freaked out the kid." He said as Raph nodded. "She didn't exactly have a great mom, so I think she's all in her head about it, like she'll turn out like her mom did. But, her dad is great…"

…_.Six months early._

_"So, this is the infamous Michelanglo I've been hearing about?" Riley's father Rick said, as he opened the door to his music shop still located in Stockbridge. Riley smiled, kissing his father's cheek as she entered the familiar store, Mikey following close behind as he stuck his hand out for Rick to shake. "Oh no, we don't shake in his family." Rick said with a chuckle, grabbing Mikey's hand and pulling him in for a hug. Riley smiled with a wince as Mikey chuckled, clapping a hand back over Rick's back._

_"Nice to meet you sir."_

_"Oh please, Sir. Rick is fine kid. So, how did you two meet? Riley-Ann tells me you've been doing for almost 3 years?"_

_"Yeah, sorry it's taken us so long to…"_

_"No, no need to apologize. C'mon in." Rick said, as they followed him into the backroom of the music shop which was attached to Riley's childhood home. "Ryes isn't exactly an expressive type." He said with a smile welcoming them into the kitchen to sit at the round, kitchen table. It was the same one that Riley grew up with, with rings from glasses stained into the old wood. Riley rolled her eyes, taking a seat at the table that she always had. The same seat she would have breakfast at. The same table she sat at while she watched her mom or dad talk on the yellow phone that was attached, still to the wall next to the fridge. "How are the kids at school babes?" _

_"They're kids." She sighed as Rick started some coffee and took a seat at the table with the happy couple. "How have you been dad?" She asked as he smiled._

_"I'm good Rye. I've been keeping busy with the shop, even though sales could be better." He sighed, running a hand over his greying, blonde head. "But, the guys started a jazz band and they asked me to be drummer so that takes up a lot of my nights." He smiled._

_"You play drums too?" Mikey asked as Riley chuckled._

_"He plays everything." She said as Rick smiled with a shrug._

_"It's a curse I guess. You play anything?" He asked as Mikey shook his head._

_"No, never picked anything up." He said as Riley chuckled._

_"Really?" She asked as he looked over at her confused. "He and his brother's own a Dojo and he teaches martial arts, and using nunchucks." She said as Rick nodded with a face of approval and shock._

_"Wow, that's amazing. Riley told me some about the Dojo but, I didn't know it was a family thing. You guys must be close."_

_"Yeah…" Mikey said with a smile as Riley chuckled again. "What?"_

_"This is just weird… My guys meeting…" She said with a smile, reaching across the table and grabbing Rick's hand along with Mikey's. "I'm happy." She shrugged as Rick got from his seat and kissed his daughter's head. _

_"I'm happy for you babes. And you, better not…"_

_"Oh, you don't even need to worry about that one…" Riley interrupted with a laugh. "He's not going anywhere." She smiled as Mikey nodded._

_"Well, that's true." He said, lifting the hand that was still holding his and kissing it softly. _

_"Ryes why don't you go show Mike around and I'll get us some grub?" Rick asked as Riley nodded, keeping Mikey's hand firmly locked with hers as they got from the table. "It's good to meet you kid." He said slapping a hand on Mikey's shoulder._

_Riley walked slowly up the familiar, faded blue carpeted steps in the narrow stairway that lead to the faded tan carpeted hallway, that lead to her bedroom. Her stomach twisted with nervousness, she couldn't really place why. Because he was seeing a part of her she normally shut out from, her past. Because he'll see that picture on her nightstand of her mother that and say she looked exactly like her. She let out a shuttered breath as they reached her closed bedroom door. Stickers of bands and chipped paint still left on the wooden door as she turned the glass knob._

_She kept her hand on it for a beat longer than she would have liked as she felt Mikey's hand touch her lower back._

_"We can go back downstairs if you…"_

_"No, it took me three years to get you here, you're seeing it." She sighed as he nodded, leaning into her body and kissing the back of her head. She felt tears start to sting in her eyes as she cleared her throat and pushed the door open._

_It was exactly as she left it. Her white dresser with daisy knobs still covered in stickers and faded permeate marker that she drew on as a way of rebellion and boredom. Posters of Debbie Harry, Breakfast Club, The Ramones, The Pixies, The Clash all still hanging where she left them on her walls. A poster of Johnny Depp with a tear drop from Cry Baby still hanging above her bed. Mikey smirked as he walked around the room, slowly, waiting for her to go first. _

_The stale smell of clove cigarettes lingering in her carpet and bedding, an empty ashtray on her nightstand with a picture of her mom sitting in a gold frame her grandmother had given her. Mikey walked up beside her as she stared at the picture of her mother smiling, her head thrown back in a laugh as her father's arms wrapped around her stomach. She picked the picture up slowly with shaky hands. Mikey placed his hand on hers as she couldn't help but feel the tears stream down her cheeks. She picked up the frame, dusting off the flecks of ash from it as she ran a finger across her mother's face._

_"She looks just like you…" Mikey said softly as she nodded, her lips pressed together tightly. Mikey placed his hands around her placing his face into her neck. "Let it go Rye, I'm right here." He said softly against her skin as she let her body fall against his. Her knees no longer being able to keep her up as he helped her down to the floor. Tears dripped onto the glass of the frame as she whipped them away._

_"Who could do that to someone this happy?" She asked looking at her father. "She was evil." She said with a sniff._

_"She was young and confused." Mikey added as she shook her head._

_"She didn't want any of this, then why be this happy to find out about it?" She asked, tracing a finger around her father's hands around her mother's stomach. "I was a burden to her…" She sighed shaking her head. "I'm sorry, this is stupid." She said wiping her tears from her face and starting to get to her feet. Mikey stopped her and kept her body close to his. _

_"Babe, you need to look at this. Please, for me?" He asked as he turned the frame back up as she tried to face it down. She looked down at her mother and father's happy faces._

_"I don't want to do that to you." She said, turning over her shoulder to look into Mikey's beautiful crystal blue eyes. "I would die if I did this to do." She said, new tears forming behind her eyes as Mikey smiled, kissing her lips._

_"You're not your mother Riley." He said as she nodded, letting out a slow shuttering breath. "Your dad is an amazing guy, and he raised you to be an amazing person." He said, kissing the side of her face. "She doesn't know what she's missing out on." He said with a shrug as Riley's tears started steaming again, her chin trembling as she put her hands to her face. Her shoulders shook with emotions as she let them all out into her hands on her childhood floor being held by the man she knew she couldn't love anymore than she did at that very moment. _

… "She's just been having some difficulty with it…" Mikey said, his eyes looking far off as he folded the same t-shirt in his hands for the third time. Raphael looked at his little brother's far off expression and clapped a hand over his shoulder.

"She'll come around man, she had you." He said with a smile as Mikey crinkled his brow, turning his head to his brother.

"Dude, that was like… Nice." He laughed as Raph rolled his eyes.

"Whatever dip-shit. Go set up for the next class."

"There he is!" Mikey chuckled, grabbing some wooden kali for the starting class.


End file.
